Australian Senior Golfer

MORE golf will be appearing on Australian free to air television following the announcement of an historic new agreement between the PGA of Australia and Network Ten.

The five year deal means that for the first time marquee golf tournaments from Australia, Asia and the United States will be broadcast on a single network.
The deal will see at least 12 live and exclusive tournaments per year broadcast on Network Ten’s new 24-hour sports channel ONE along with supporting coverage of selected events on TEN. In addition, exclusive highlights packages of a further 10 events per year will also be broadcast on ONE.
The partnership tees off this weekend with highlights of the Subaru Victorian Open followed next weekend by highlights of the Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship.

Exclusive coverage of the Moonah Classic and Australia’s oldest professional tournament, the Australian PGA Championship, headline the domestic events.
The deal also includes live and exclusive coverage of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open, the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, the three prestigious World Golf Championship events – the Accenture MatchPlay Championship, CA Championship and Bridgestone Invitational – as well as the Omega Mission
Hills World Cup.

Four key Asian events including the Singapore Open, Indian Open, Thailand Open and the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia complete the international component.
The deal adds to the Network’s existing portfolio of premium golf tournaments including the year’s opening two major championships, the Masters and the US Open, as well as the Johnnie Walker Classic and the ANZ Ladies Masters.
Network Ten’s general manager – sport, David White, said the Network was excited to be broadcasting such an extensive portfolio of elite golf to the Australian public through this landmark agreement with PGA of Australia.
“Our new 24-hour sports channel ONE will provide us with the platform to showcase golf on a live and exclusive basis, not previously seen in this country,” Mr. White said.
“Viewers will be able to watch extended golf coverage on ONE while also viewing the final rounds of many marquee events on both TEN and ONE.”
“We warmly welcome the sport of golf onto our expanded Network of TEN and ONE, bringing the game to a larger and more diverse audience than ever before,” he said.
Max Garske, CEO of the PGA of Australia said: “This is a key partnership for the PGA of Australia and we are delighted to form a long-term investment with Network Ten.”
“Golf in Australia is rapidly moving forward and to work with such a progressive network marries well with our vision.”
“It is wonderful news for the game and its supporters allowing them to see more of our domestic competition and provides a solid foundation for the development and promotion of our game as we move ahead.”
ONE will broadcast from late March in High Definition (HD) on Digital Channel 1 and also in Standard Definition (SD) on Digital Channel 12. Those events not appearing on TEN prior to late March will air on Ten- HD (Digital Channel 1).
It is not yet clear if the additional broadcasts will extend to the regional Southern Cross networks, which at present miss out on TEN HD coverage.

Editor’s Note 23/2/209 : Apparently Southern Cross Ten say they are still working on the “infrastructure” and will be screening TEN HD and the new ONE Sports channel “later this year”, whenever that is. Every time people ask they seem to put the date back and there is much unhappiness out there in regional tv land. SC10 are the broadcaster, apart from capital cities, down the eastern seaboard and that includes the Canberra area.

VICTORIAN Ashley Hall has held off the challenge from Scott Laycock and Craig Scott to claim the 2009 Subaru Victorian Open by two shots.
Twenty five year old Hall fired a final round two under 69 to finish on ten under par for the event, his second win on the Australasian Tour after he claimed the 2007 Victorian PGA Championship.
Hall defeated playing partner’s Laycock and Hall who both finished on eight under with Paul Sheehan and Aaron Townsend tied for fourth place on seven under and Peter Senior, Cameron Percy and David Diaz tied for sixth place a further shot back.
Hall started the day in equal first place on eight under alongside Laycock with Scott a further shot back setting the scene for a thrilling final day where the lead changed several times before Hall sealed victory.

Overnight leaders Hall and Laycock continued their tussle into the day and by the conclusion of play on the front nine, both were tied for the lead at 9-under the card. Scott, who was one shot off the pace after yesterday’s play, seemed to be out of contention when four bogeys on the front nine saw him drop to 3-under par.

An early birdie on the back nine took Laycock, a former winner of the Championship, into the lead. Hall steadied as three bogeys from four holes saw Laycock relinquish the lead. Just as it looked like a two-way battle for the title, Scott’s game was brought to life with four consecutive birdies.

A 17th hole bogey from Hall gave Laycock and Scott hope going into the final hole, but Hall remained solid taking the 54th Victorian Open Championship title. A stunning 6-under par back nine from Scott, secured him a tied second place finish.

For Hall it was a mixture of relief and pride to claim the win in front of a gallery of friends and family and pocket the $16,500 winner’s cheque.
“To be honest I just came into this event to get myself ready for the Johnnie Walker Classic and the bigger events but this is the best possible start to the year I could have hoped for. It means a lot to me, I played in every team for the VGA…juniors, colts and seniors, so it is really special,” Hall said.
“I’m a little bit relieved. A four shot lead turned into two pretty quickly at 17 but I figured if I just hit it into the middle of the green on the last I was always going to make par,” said the new Australasian Tour Order of Merit leader.
” I thought when I woke up this morning with it windy that it was going to play into my hands. I like the course the way it is when it’s windy. I tried not to think about what happened yesterday and just stuck to my routine and it worked. I suppose nothing can go wrong if you stick to your routine.”
After a tough week of extreme climates and changing conditions at the Spring Valley lay-out Hall said the win was a great confidence booster after he lost his status in Asia and he was looking forward to making the most of the next six weeks on the Australasian Tour. He will play in this week’s Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship, followed by International Final Qualifying for the Open Championship, the Johnnie Walker Classic, Moonah Classic, HSBC NZ PGA Championship and the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.
“It gives me the confidence that I wasn’t just a one hit wonder and that I can do it again,” said Hall. “I’ve done it a different way this time, I didn’t come from behind like I did at the PGA, I was in the last group for the last two days and I slept on a lead so I can take a lot of positives out of it and take them into the bigger events.”
For 2001 Victorian Open Champion Scott Laycock who lost his status after eight years on the Japan Golf Tour after a debilitating wrist injury, it was a positive way to start the new year.
“Like any player, I play to get into contention and it’s been a while for me so I am really happy with how I have gone this week,” said the 37 year old Victorian. “I played better this week than I have in a while for a whole tournament and it was nice to be back up there again.”
For Craig Scott a birdie finish saw the 25 year old from Sorrento move up to finish second alongside Laycock. His form was impressive this week as the Canadian Tour regular shot rounds of 71, 70, 65 and 70 displaying a consistency that he hopes will continue through the next few events and result in his first Australasian Tour victory.
“I’m playing well and I know it’s only a matter of time,” said Scott who will also be lining up at next week’s second Australasian Tour event for 2009.

It was a clean sweep for the Victorians with Bryden MacPherson leading the way for the Amateurs, returning a 2-over par performance. 18-year old MacPherson has continued a promising start to his golfing career after taking out leading amateur tournament, The Dunes Medal in December. His result at the 2009 Victorian Open has done little to disprove the prediction that MacPherson is one of the country’s brightest stars.

Favourable conditions saw strong crowds turn out to Spring Valley to watch the final round of the 2009 Championship.

The PGA Tour of Australasia now travels to Sanctuary Lakes tomorrow for the Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship. The Championship will feature a Junior Pro-Am (Monday),  Calloway Ladies Competition (Tuesday) and Celebrity/Corporate Pro-Am (Wednesday) before the competition proper tees off on Thursday January 5.

FINAL RESULTS FROM 2009 SUBARU VICTORIAN OPEN
Ashley Hall , VIC, -10, 68, 65, 72, 69, 274,
Craig Scott , VIC, -8, 71, 70, 65, 70, 276,
Scott Laycock , VIC, -8, 68, 68, 69, 71, 276,
Paul Sheehan , NSW, -7, 68, 70, 71, 68, 277,
Aaron Townsend , NSW, -7, 70, 68, 70, 69, 277,
Cameron Percy , VIC, -6, 68, 68, 72, 70, 278,
David Diaz , VIC, -6, 74, 69, 68, 67, 278,
Peter Senior , QLD, -6, 68, 72, 69, 69, 278,
Andrew McKenzie , VIC, -4, 74, 66, 69, 71, 280,
Terry Pilkadaris , WA, -3, 71, 71, 68, 71, 281,
Andre Stolz , NSW, -3, 66, 73, 69, 73, 281,
David Lutterus , SA, -3, 70, 70, 69, 72, 281,
Craig Spence , VIC, -3, 68, 65, 73, 75, 281,
Adam Porker , VIC, -3, 73, 68, 69, 71, 281,
James McLean , VIC, -3, 66, 71, 72, 72, 281,
Marcus Cain , QLD, -2, 70, 69, 72, 71, 282,
Michael Brennan , NSW, -2, 75, 68, 68, 71, 282,
Chris Downes , QLD, -2, 69, 67, 73, 73, 282,
Gareth Paddison , NZL, -2, 68, 72, 67, 75, 282,
Steve Collins , WA, -2, 70, 72, 68, 72, 282,
Heath D’Altera , VIC, -1, 66, 66, 76, 75, 283,
Josh Carmichael , NZL, -1, 71, 71, 67, 74, 283,
David McKenzie , VIC, -1, 68, 68, 77, 70, 283,
Adam Bland , SA, -1, 73, 66, 73, 71, 283,
Ryan Haywood , VIC, even, 70, 68, 73, 73, 284,
Tim Wise , VIC, even, 74, 69, 70, 71, 284,
Kevin Conlong , VIC, even, 74, 69, 71, 70, 284,
Rohan Blizard , NSW, even, 72, 67, 67, 78, 284,
Michael Clayton , VIC, +1, 74, 69, 68, 74, 285,
Leigh McKechnie , NSW, +1, 72, 70, 74, 69, 285,
Brad Andrews , QLD, +1, 74, 65, 69, 77, 285,
Matthew Millar , ACT, +2, 73, 69, 70, 74, 286,
Kim Felton , WA, +2, 70, 72, 69, 75, 286,
Kurt Barnes , NSW, +2, 75, 69, 68, 74, 286,
Bryden MacPherson (A), VIC, +2, 75, 68, 70, 73, 286,
Andrew Tschudin , VIC, +3, 71, 70, 71, 75, 287,
Ryan Haller , QLD, +3, 71, 70, 71, 75, 287,
Michael Curtain , VIC, +3, 71, 71, 70, 75, 287,
Tristan Lambert , NSW, +4, 72, 70, 71, 75, 288,
Matthew Ballard , QLD, +4, 73, 71, 70, 74, 288,
Adam Wilcox , NSW, +5, 74, 68, 72, 75, 289,
Mahal Pearce , NZL, +5, 68, 71, 70, 80, 289,
Stuart Bouvier , QLD, +5, 70, 73, 75, 71, 289,
Rudi Bezuidenhout , NSW, +5, 77, 67, 71, 74, 289,
Dean Meagher , NSW, +5, 69, 74, 74, 72, 289,
Heath Reed , VIC, +5, 70, 68, 75, 76, 289,
Andrew Tampion , VIC, +6, 77, 67, 68, 78, 290,
Clint Rice , TAS, +6, 73, 70, 70, 77, 290,
Hamish Robertson , NZL, +6, 73, 70, 73, 74, 290,
Andrew Martin , VIC, +8, 74, 70, 73, 75, 292,
Michael McGrath , VIC, +8, 74, 70, 73, 75, 292,
James McMillan (A), VIC, +8, 74, 67, 74, 77, 292,
Jason Norris , SA, +9, 74, 70, 74, 75, 293,
Damon Welsford , ACT, +10, 74, 70, 75, 75, 294,
Martin Doyle , VIC, +11, 73, 71, 76, 75, 295,
Ryan McCarthy (A), TAS, +12, 73, 70, 74, 79, 296,
Graydon Woolridge , NSW, +13, 68, 73, 78, 78, 297,
Tom Prowse , VIC, +14, 70, 73, 76, 79, 298,
Jens Nilsson , SWE, +17, 74, 69, 81, 77, 301,
Mathew Holten , NZL, +33, 73, 66, 72, 106, 317

PREVIEW STORY

THE past seven winners of the Victorian Open Championship will line up this week attempting to emulate their past triumphs.

Defending champion West Australian Kim Felton will be hoping to make it back-to-back titles when the tournament tees off on Thursday  at Spring Valley Golf Club.

Felton won the event when it was last played in 2007 and is facing stiff competition from former champions David Diaz (2006), Kurt Barnes (2005), Gareth Paddison (2004), Andre Stolz (2002), Scott Laycock (2001) and Brad Lamb (2000). *

The former champions will be competing against established talent and up and comers from across the country.

Amongst the local contingent are 2008 Cellarbrations NSW PGA Champion Victorian Tim Wise, Andrew Tschudin, returning home after success on the Korean tour and former Australian Masters Champion Craig Spence.

The local boys are up against some formidable interstate rivals. Paul Sheehan heads a solid line-up representing NSW, having made a name for himself at home and abroad with victories at the Jacob’s Creek Open and Japan Open.

West Australians Terry Pilkadaris and Jarrod Moseley will be looking to claim another tour victory, and Queenslander’s Andrew Bonhomme and Steven Bowditch both know what it takes to secure tour wins. Bonhomme claimed  victory at the 2007 Queensland PGA championship and Bowditch spent a year on the US PGA Tour after he claimed victory at the  2005 Jacob’s Creek Open.

Jason Norris winner of the 2007 WA PGA Championship, will join fellow South Australian David Lutterus, who received his 2008 US PGA Tour Card after a stellar 2007.

Peter Senior, Peter Fowler and Terry Price vying for first Victorian Open wins

Joining the former champions are seasoned veterans Peter Senior, Peter Fowler and Terry Price, each vying for their first Victorian Open win.

Also seeking further success to add to their 2008 tour victories are SA PGA Champion Heath Reed, Cellarbrations NSW PGA Champion Tim Wood and NSW Open winner Aaron Townsend. Leading the charge is 2008 Oceanique WA PGA Champion and overall winner of the Von Nida Tour Money List Michael Long.

Former Australian tennis professional Scott Draper continues his successful transition to golf, hoping to add a Victorian Open title to his 2007 NSW PGA Championship win. Joining Draper in the main draw are fellow Queenslanders Ryan Haller and Paul Donahoo, also winners on the Von Nida Tour in 2007.

Hot on the heels of a stunning win in the Victorian Amateur Championship is Luke Bleumink. With his victory the 23-year old Victorian state player joined a prestigious list of Amateur Champions, including Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy and would like nothing more than to emulate their success with his first win at a senior event.

The Subaru Victorian Open Championship is being played from Thursday 29th January to Sunday 1st February at Spring Valley Golf Club, Heatherton Road, Clayton South. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $8 or Season Passes for $15.

 * The Victorian Open was not played in 2003 or 2008.

ANDREW DAKERS from NSW and Queenslanders Ricki Mangan, Steve Morshuis and Tana Palmer are the newest graduates to the Australian Legends Tour following the Qualifying School held at Camden Lakeside Country Club in NSW.
The Australian PGA Legends Tour Qualifying School teed off with six 50-years plus amateurs chasing four playing tickets for the 2009 season.
The Legends Tour of the PGA of Australia comprises over 50 events covering the eastern seaboard of Australia to New Zealand with the total prize money being $1.2 Million.
The Legends Tour has continued steady growth in recent times with an increase in the number of events and prize money.

Much of this can be attributed to the participation of well known names in Australian golf such as Rodger Davis, Bob Shearer, Mike Harwood, Mike Clayton and Wayne Grady.
It is a requirement that players must be over 50 years of age to compete on the tour.
The PGA says current plans are to increase the total number of events to 60, increase the prize money pool to $1.4 million, a possible event being staged in China and to keep attracting not just local players but also overseas players to ensure a competitive environment.

FINAL SCORES

The final scores from the 2009 Qualifying School Final were:
1. Andrew Dakers (Am) NSW 74 73 74 – 221
2. Ricki Mangan (Am) Qld 75 75 74 – 224
3. Steve Morshuis (Am) Qld 75 77 79 – 231
4. Tana Palmer (Am) Qld 80 71 89 – 240
5. Hyuk Kwon (Am) NSW 83 82 79 – 244
6. Alexander McKay (Am) Vic 81 85 81 247

US PGA TOUR: SONY OPEN IN HAWAII, WAIALAE COUNTRY CLUB, HONOLULU, HAWAII

A blistering final round six under 64 has seen Australian Adam Scott finish just two shots off a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii –the first full field event on the 2009 US PGA Tour calendar.  

 Starting the day three shots off the lead and tied tenth, the 28 year old Aussie carded seven birdies in his round to equal the best round of the day and soar into contention.
He held the lead briefly after overnight leader Zach Johnson stumbled early on, but the American regrouped with four birdies on the back nine to take the title. Johnson secured his victory by two shots over Scott and American David Toms.

Charles Howell III was a further stroke behind at 12-under, with Kevin Na and Brian Gay one shot back in a tie for fifth.

 For Scott, who is recovering from a knee injury that forced a six week break, the start to the year will brim him with confidence. He finished T18 at his first outing, the Mercedes Benz Championship last week and secured his best result since winning the EDS Byron Nelson Championship last April.

 “Today was really good for me,” said Scott.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the hunt in anything.
“It was nice to get on the back nine and have a chance, and get the competitive nerves going again. I enjoyed the challenge.
“I wish I could have made the putt on 17 to have a bit of a chance on the last, but all in all, I’m pretty happy with how my game is shaping up.”

 Scott will now head to Qatar where he will look to claim his third straight Qatar Masters. He will then return home to Australia for a month for more rehabilitation on his knee which still needs to be iced daily and requires more treatment.

In more good news for the Aussies, rookie Marc Leishman carded a five-under-par 65 to grab a share of 12th spot in his first PGA Tour event.
Starting the day in a tie for second place, Nathan Green struggled with four bogeys early on, but closed with a birdie to also finish in 12th place.
Geoff Ogilvy never recovered from a disastrous start that saw him drop five shots through seven holes to finish in a tie for 32nd at five-under overall.

EUROPEAN TOUR: THE ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP, ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB, ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Robert Allenby has finished the best of the Australasians at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship tying for 15^th place on 13 under, eight shots behind winner Paul Casey of England.

Allenby, a US TOUR regular and playing in his first event for the 2009 season shot rounds of 71, 68, 69 & 67 to finish one shot ahead of compatriot Brett Rumford on 12 under while halfway leader Richard Green was a further stroke back in a tie for 26th.
For Casey, it was a case of surviving a late scare to secure his first title in two years. Coasting to victory, or so it seemed, when he led by six with only eight holes to play, he then bogeyed three of the next four holes. The 31 year old led by six shots at the turn but problems with his putter saw his lead desert him as up ahead South African Louis Oosthuizen posted an eight-under-par 64 and suddenly the gap was only one.

However, the 31-year-old Ryder Cup star, whose last win came in the same event at the start of 2007, parred the closing stretch for a 70 and a 21-under total of 267 to take the title by one shot from Louis Oosthuizen and defending champion Martin Kaymer. It was Casey’s second Abu Dhabi win in three years.

New Zealand amateur Danny Lee was the next best of the Australasians posting rounds of 68, 70, 73, 68 to finish on nine-under-par ahead of fellow countryman and 2008 Australasian Tour Order of Merit Champion Mark Brown two shots further back.

Rod Pampling, Scott Strange and Aaron Baddeley finished well done the leaderboard in 37th, 50th and 62nd respectively.

ASIAN TOUR: 2009 ASIAN TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL, ST ANDREWS 2000 GC & RAYONG GREEN VALLEY CC, THAILAND

12 Australasians have successfully qualified through final stage of Asian Tour School and have earned their cards for the 2009 season.

Led by South Australian Peter Cooke and Victorian Matthew Griffin who finished best of the contingent from Down Under in a tie for ninth place, 11 Aussies and New Zealander Mark Purser braved five rounds over five days at the St Andrews 2000 and Rayong Green Valley courses.

Also finishing in the Top 40 and ties were: Michael Light (T12), Kim Do.H (T15), Tim Stewart (T17), Mark Purser (T19), Chris Gaunt (T19), Adam Le Vesconte (T26), Jason Norris (T26), Christopher Campbell (T30), Adam Groom (T33) and Rohan Blizard (T33).

Victorian Brad Lamb narrowly missed the cut when he finished in a tie for 41^st spot.

Overall, Australia had the biggest representation in the 2009 Qualifying School with 83 players.

Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama triumphed in a play-off with Mohammad Siddikur and Rory Hie becoming the first Bangladeshi and Indonesian players respectively to earn full playing rights.

AUSTRALASIAN RESULTS:

US PGA TOUR: SONY OPEN

WINNER: ZACH JOHNSON (USA)

T2 Adam Scott (-13), T12 Marc Leishman (-7), Nathan Green (-7), T32 Geoff Ogilvy (-5), T51 Tim Wilkinson (-2), T65 Jarrod Lyle (+2). 

MC: John Senden, Aron Price, Peter Lonard, Greg Chalmers, James Nitties.

EUROPEAN TOUR: THE ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

WINNER: PAUL CASEY (ENGLAND) -21

T15 Robert Allenby (-13), T20 Brett Rumford (-12), T26 Richard Green (-11), T35 Danny Lee am NZL ( -9), T37 Rod Pampling (-8), T42 Mark Brown NZL (-7), T50 Scott Strange (-5), T62 Aaron Baddeley (-2)

MC: Peter O’Malley,

ASIAN TOUR: 2009 ASIAN TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL FINAL STAGE

1^ST: DAISUKE MARUYAMA (JAPAN)

T9, 359, Peter COOKE, Australia, 73, 70, 72, 75, 69

T9, 359, Matthew GRIFFIN, Australia, 70, 72, 72, 74, 71

T12, 360, Michael LIGHT, Australia, 70, 74, 75, 75, 66

T15, 361, KIM Do.H, Australia, 76, 72, 74, 70, 69

T17, 362, Tim STEWART, Australia, 74, 70, 77, 74, 67

T19, 363, Mark PURSER, New Zealand, 74, 73, 70, 75, 71

T19, 363, Chris GAUNT, Australia, 72, 73, 71, 75, 72

T26, 364, Adam Le VESCONTE, Australia, 75, 71, 72, 79, 67

T26, 364, Jason NORRIS, Australia, 72, 68, 75, 76, 73

T30, 365, Christopher CAMPBELL, Australia, 71, 77, 74, 74, 69

T33, 366, Adam GROOM, Australia, 73, 74, 75, 72, 72

T33, 366, Rohan BLIZARD, Australia, 71, 77, 74, 71, 73

THE WEEK AHEAD:

US PGA TOUR: The 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer at PGA West (Palmer Course), La Quinta, California, PGA West (Nicklaus Course), La Quinta, California, Bermuda Dunes CC, Bermuda Dunes, California, Silver Rock, La Quinta, California
EUROPEAN TOUR: Commercialbank Qatar Masters Presented by Dolphin Energy, Doha GC, Doha, Qatar

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Hualalai Golf Course, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii

(Original material courtesy PGA Australia)

SYDNEY’S Noel Ratcliffe has taken the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship crown, finishing with a six stroke victory at Byron Bay Golf Club.

The experienced touring professional pulled away from the field and finished the 54 hole tournament at four under-par.

Under tough conditions Ratcliff’s even-par final round was the equal best of the day as the Byron Bay course firmed under strong westerly winds. Ratcliffe played controlled golf in the trying conditions with rounds of 70, 70 and 72 to be the only player in the field to finish under par.
When Ratcliffe pitched to within inches of the cup on the sixteenth, the lead stretched to five strokes and those still hoping to mount a challenge were left in his wake.

Ratcliffe ended the tournament with two regulation pars claiming his second Australian PGA Seniors title. His first win was in 2001.

Ratcliffe is a very experienced campaigner and his many wins include a number of titles on the European Seniors Tour.
Defending PGA Seniors Champion David Merriman equaled Ratcliff’s final round 72 to finish tied second with John Clifford (78), Terry Gale (75) and Stuart Reese (75).

Japanese Touring professional Hiroshi Fujita capped off a successful week finishing tied 10th at eight over-par.
Ratcliffe will take home $14,400 of the $80,000 purse on offer at the championship.

Round 2

NEW South Welshman John Clifford has produced the low round of the day and now shares the tournament lead after the second round of the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club.
In blustery conditions, Clifford shot a four-under-par round of 68 and sits level with Noel Ratcliffe and Garth Domigan on a 36 hole total of four-under.
Clifford, the 2003 Australian Seniors Champion, played consistent and near flawless golf to climb up the leaderboard  with a bogey free round. Ratcliffe had the putter on song, recording five birdies on his back nine to finish with a two-under-par 70.
Round one leader Terry Gale lost ground as the putts failed to drop on day two finishing with a four over par round of 76. He is tied for fourth with a one-over-par total.

Tournament favourite and defending champion David Merriman is still in contention, six strokes back at two-over-par and in a tie for ninth position.
Executive Officer of the NSW/ACT Division of the PGA of Australia Melville Proud has praised the tournament.
“It has been an excellent week. The planning by Mark Wilson (Tournament Director and Captain Byron Bay Golf Club) and the club has really made the tournament a success. A lot of the big names are in contention so it should be an exciting finish.”
The final round of the  Championship concludes on Sunday with the final group of Clifford, Ratcliffe and Domigan teeing off at 11:30am.

Round 1

WEST Australian Terry Gale holds a one stroke lead after the first round of  the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club.
Gale finished with a five-under 67 to sit one shot clear of New Zealander Garth Domigan.
Gale, the two-time Australian PGA Senior Champion (1996 & 2006) made seven birdies and two bogeys in a round highlighted by putting.
“I played some nice iron shots and putted well, every time I hit it close I made it. When you’re holing putts, you confidence lifts and all of a sudden the game is not that hard,” Gale said.
“The course is in great condition and requires a strategic approach. I went for some shots today and it paid off, I wanted to get out of the blocks quickly,” he said.
New Zealander Garth Domigan sits in second place, however he held the lead for most of the day before failing to finish off his round dropping three shots in the last two holes.
After a steady start, Domigan made the turn at one-under par before reeling off an impressive stretch of six birdies in seven holes and taking him to seven-under-par through 16 holes.
An errant shot at the par three seventeenth, followed by a drive into the water hazard on eighteen saw him surrender the lead to Gale and finish his round at four-under-par.
Defending champion David Merriman opened with a disappointing four-over-par 76 while tournament drawcard Rodger Davis opened with a respectable two-under, 70.

Preview Report

The 2008 Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship is underway at the Byron Bay Golf Club in northern NSW with an in form David Merriman a hot favourite to defend his title.
Merriman, who was a stellar performer on the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit this year with earnings of more than $200,000 for 22nd place, will face stiff competition from Rodger Davis, Mike Ferguson and Terry Gale.
The $80,000 PGA Seniors Championship is being played over 54 holes on the tough and windy Byron Bay course which is in perfect condition despite recent storms in the area.
“The course is in great shape, the recent works and re-designs have really lifted the profile of the course. It should be a great week and hopefully we can get some crowds for the weekend” said Tournament Director and Captain of Byron Bay Golf Club Mark Wilson.
Seventy-three senior (50+) PGA Professionals teed up for the first round of the championship on Friday and were joined by a lucky group of amateurs who will be able to rub shoulders, swap jokes and go shot for shot with some of Australia’s finest golfers.
The championship runs s from 11-14 December.

(Original source material courtesy PGA Australia)

Peter Senior will make golfing history when he fronts up for his 30th Australian Masters event this week but the 49 year old has lost none of his passion for the game.

Senior is a two time winner of the Masters and will line up as the only player to have played in all thirty Australian Masters tournaments since the first event was played at Huntingdale in 1979.

“It has been a long trip and I have enjoyed every one of them,” Senior, who won the title in 1991 and 1995, said this week. “Thirty years sounds like a long time but I’ve still got a few left in me.”

Senior feels he has been playing well lately with good finishes in the Western Australian PGA and a second at the NSW PGA.

He was feeling confident when talking to media about the upcoming big three Aussie tournaments, including the Open, the PGA and the Masters, and even suggesting that “if I can putt a little better than I have been” anything could happen.

“Or you could do a Robert Allenby and win all three of them,” he said.

The putting would have to be going exceptionally well for that to come to pass but it is a measure of the competitive spirit Senior has displayed in 30 years travelling the globe.

Whatever has been happening for him overseas, Senior is a household name in Australian golf because he has returned home every summer to play in front of home crowds. The fact hasn’t been lost on his legions of fans, making him a crowd favourite and the name ‘Senior’ synonymous with the Australasian Tour.

“One thing I always said was that I would come back to support the Australian Tour, no matter where I was or what I was doing. I have foregone some really good tournaments to come back and play our events, but I wanted to do that.”

Senior said that whilst his thirty years sounded a lot, he has lost none of the desire that has brought him so much success and popularity in the game since he first turned professional in 1978. Whilst he plays less tournament golf these days, he intends to continue with his career on the senior’s circuit when he turns 50 next July.

“I love the game. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, corporate days, pro-ams, I still enjoy being on the course. The main reason I stopped tournament golf was to spend time with my kids in their school years.

“I figured that when I turned 50 I would still have the opportunity to play. Sitting at home and doing nothing for the first couple of years was really hard, but deep down the desire is still there.”

Senior is keen to try his luck on the Seniors tour in the US next year but knows it will be tough with “about 500 guys” competing for the eight available spots.

If anyone can do it, Peter can.

The First Round of the 2008 Sportsbet Australian Masters starts on Thursday with the first groups teeing off at 7am.

The morning groups include Craig Parry, John Daly and Finland’s Mikko Ilonen teeing off the tenth tee at 7:10am – now that will be a sight to behold.

There will be free to air television coverage on all four days of the tournament on the Seven Network, check your local guides.

JOHN DALY could be more than just a sideshow when he arrives on Australian shores this week to spice up the start of the summer golf season.

Daly, who artfully manages to combine being a highly gifted two time major winner while keeping up a train wreck of a personal life, shot his best round of golf in three years on the final day of the Hong Kong Open yesterday (Sunday).

He had eight birdies to finish one off the course record on the tight Hong Kong Golf Club course.

He was already out of tournament contention having followed up opening round consecutive 68’s with a deflating 73 on Saturday.

Without a US PGA Tour card for two years, Daly says one of his problems of late has been not playing in enough consecutive big time tournaments.

With a tendency to go to Hooters rather than practice, Daly needs the consistent big game play to keep his game together.

“I can’t remember the last time I had three weeks in a row that I could play,” Daly says. “That’s probably why I’m hoping to get a lot of invites in the European tour and play four, five, six in a row. That’s the only way I can play good golf.”

First, we have the 30th Australian Masters kicking off in Melbourne on Thursday. The following week we have the Australian PGA (Dec 4-7) at Coolum and then the Australian Open at the Royal Sydney Golf Course from December 11-14.

 

 

Apart from ably demonstrating in Hong Kong that despite being rated World No 788, he can still put an exceptional round together, Daly also proved his public pulling power.

If he keeps his shirt on, his putter out of the water and his nights in reasonable order, he could be something to watch.

But whatever Daly’s golfing performance over the next two weeks in Australia (his schedule didn’t allow staying for the Australian Open), his inclusion has already served to further heighten interest in what should be a fascinating summer of golf.

First, we have the 30th Australian Masters kicking off in Melbourne on Thursday. The following week we have the Australian PGA (Dec 4-7) at Coolum and then the Australian Open at the Royal Sydney Golf Course from December 11-14.

Most of Australia’s big name players will be appearing at some stage.

Nick O’Hern has just been ruled out for the duration with a thumb injury, Aaron Baddeley has a new baby to contend with, and Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott will miss the first week but not the next two.

Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Matthew Goggin, Nathan Green, Richard Green, Peter Lonard, Craig Parry, Rod Pampling, John Senden and Peter Senior will be among the other starters.

The Australian contingent at the Masters will be further strengthened with the participation of Scott Strange, winner of the 2008 Wales Open and fellow West Australian, Rick Kulacz who won the Brunei Open in his rookie year on the Asian Tour.

In addition, Jarrod Lyle, Greg Chalmers, Aron Price and Marc Leishman, all winners on the Nationwide Tour en route to progressing to the 2009 PGA TOUR will play. 

The home grown talent will be challenged by a strong international line up including 2005 US Open Champion Michael Campbell from New Zealand, dual PGA TOUR winner Daniel Chopra from Sweden along with two time member of the International Team at The Presidents Cup and three time European Tour winner, Tim Clark from South Africa.  These proven champions will be joined by one of the games brightest young stars in Danny Lee from New Zealand.  Danny is the current United States Amateur Champion and the #1 ranked amateur in the World.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, regarded as one of the game’s best ball strikers, will be the main overseas draw for the Australian Open at Royal Sydney.

THE Australian PGA Seniors Tour has been renamed the PGA Legends Tour.

PGA Australia says the new name was approved at a recent board meeting and the move will also see the tour introduce a new logo.

The PGA Legends Tour, for PGA Members over the age of 50, has approximately 30 events per year.

The biggest event on the tour, which features the likes of golfers Wayne Grady, Rodger Davis and David Merriman, is the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship which will take place from December 11-14 in Byron Bay.

The Byron Bay event will have a total prize pool this year of $80,000, reflecting the increasing interest and popularity of senior golf.

The 2009 PGA Seniors Qualifying School will be played from  January 11 – 14 January at Camden Lakeside Country Club in New South Wales.

FIFTY FOUR year old former New Zealand PGA Champion Stuart Reese gave tournament golf away for 16 years after losing all feel and confidence in his golf swing.

“I couldn’t even hit balls in front of my members, I was just too embarrassed,” the Club Peninsula Professional (NZ) says.

Now he has fought back with an opening round of six under par to lead the Greater Building Society Australian Masters Invitational at Emerald Lakes Golf Club.

The New Zealander took advantage of the pristine conditions to be three shots clear of his nearest competitors.
Reese has been battling his way back by making some dramatic mechanical and attitudinal changes to his game.

But he still doesn’t have full confidence in the adjustments yet after folding late last week in the Australian Senior Open.
Reese has showed some great form this week at Emerald Lakes Golf Club after winning the Sponsor Pro Am. His opening round on Thursday consisted of six birdies and no bogies. The senior professional said: “I didn’t play great but I’m happy with the score.”
Hardly a breath of wind was evident all day but despite the perfect scoring conditions some of the greatest names in Australian golf were finding that the Emerald lakes layout was proving a little more demanding than many had initially thought it might.

The overnight rain had made the course just a club or two longer and the scores were reflecting a more demanding layout than had been the case earlier in the week.
Local golfer Neil Wall shot a solid opening round in the morning of three under par 69 and was soon joined by three other players in Terry Price, Sydney club professional Greg Hohnen and Brisbane based professional Allan Cooper, to leave them trailing Reese by three.

While not officially a senior golfer, Price was granted a special invite to this event to assist in bolstering the strength of the field and took full advantage.
Price had an eagle, four birdies and three bogies and despite his score he self admittedly indicated was not at his best. He headed for the practice fairway looking to find the form the he feels he needs to stay on top of his older rivals this week. “There are several important weeks coming up and I need to get my game back in shape,” he added as he began to beat balls in the heat of the afternoon.
Price has now lost status on the European Tour after two years struggling with a leg broken in a bizarre accident in England. He has struggled to return to the level of fitness he needs to contend at the level he once did on a regular basis.
Wall on the other hand is a player who only turned professional at the age of 50 and six years later is beginning to record some very impressive performances in senior tour events in Queensland and elsewhere.

He recently won the Queensland Senior Open at Nudgee. Wall had done two years of a traineeship with Merv Ulhmann at the Oxley Golf Club in Brisbane before giving it away.

“They were long hours and the pay was only $12 a week and I decided to do other things. I wanted to turn professional again a little later in life but family commitments precluded that. At the age of 50 I decided it was now or never and have really enjoyed it since.”
Wall’s round consisted of five birdies and two bogies and he was quick to thank the people at Emerald Lakes for allowing him to practice there on a regular basis with his good friend Brian Jones in the lead up to the event.
Fifty-one-year-old Hohnen is the club professional at Killara Golf Club in Sydney’s north where he has been for the last 35 years. Hohnen played the Australasian Tour on occasions earlier in his career but on turning 50 he has begun to play more including ten or so senior tour events in 2008.

“The management at Killara have encouraged me to play events and I am really enjoying doing so. It was a very solid ball striking day, I think I hit 15 greens and was really happy with the way I played generally.”
Tournament drawcard Ian Baker-Finch opened with a round of even par.

“I am playing really nicely when I trust it but every once in a while I lose focus and don’t turn properly and a bad one comes out of nowhere normally a hybrid or a long iron,” said Baker-Finch after his round.

“The nice thing about it is that while I want to play well it is not as important as it once was if I don’t. The course played a little longer today with the overnight rain but the greens were great but my golf not so. “My goal was to shoot three 69’s which I thought would have been a good score so now I have to shoot something pretty low if I am to have a chance.”

(Original source material courtesy PGA of Australia)