Charlestown assistant pro upstages a host of big names
The picturesque Moss Vale Golf Club proved to be a stern test for the field of 51 players, Van Raalte coping with the dry and windy conditions best to win by one stroke.
A winner on the Legends Tour every year since 2021, Van Raalte was the only player to break par on Thursday, his round of 1-under 70 just enough to edge Peter Lonard and Lucas Bates.
Juggling his commitments back at Charlestown, Van Raalte has played just 15 events thus far in 2025, pleased to extend his winning record as he looks towards more starts in the latter months of the year.
“I do a bit over 30 hours in the shop there, do a bit of teaching on the range and then try to mix in a few of the Legends events towards the end of the year,” Van Raalte said.
“Enjoy getting away, playing a few new golf courses, having some new experiences, getting to some places never played before.
“As we get older I think we cherish those moments a little bit more.”
Quick quotes
“Feel very privileged to finish in front of those guys at any time,” Van Raalte said after finishing in front of the likes of Peter Lonard and Andre Stolz.
“They’re world-class players and I believe that they still are on a seniors level. To be in the mix with those guys and hear some of their stories that they have from their history is amazing.
“Trying conditions out there today. I managed to make a few two-putts from above the hole and a couple of putts where I needed to just to keep a bit of momentum going.
“I was fortunate enough to make a couple of birdies on the par 5s but ended up making a bogey on my last hole, so I was a little fortunate.
“It was quite dry, a little bit windy. It was difficult to control how far the ball was actually travelling.”
Leading scores
1 David Van Raalte 70
T2 Lucas Bates 71
T2 Peter Lonard 71
T4 Mark Gilson 72
T4 Chris Taylor 72
T6 John Onions 73
T6 Stuart Beament 73
Next up
TLE ACT Senior PGA Championship, Fairbairn Golf Club, October 9-10
05 October 2025
Ben Burge and Mark Gilson top the 2025 Hahn Shelly Beach Legends Pro-Am.
The teaching professional at Wakehurst Golf Club shot the best morning round of 2-under-par 69 and held off all the afternoon challengers, apart from Gilson who birdied his final two holes.
Burge’s only previous PGA Legends Tour win came at nearby Kooindah Waters in November 2024, although his appearances on the over-50s circuit have come second to his day job.
Meanwhile Gilson, who came through Qualifying School at the start of the year, gained his first title.
“You wouldn’t get a better day to play golf at Shelly than today. That’s for sure,” Gilson said.
“I’m rapt to get a win but a bit disappointed that Andre Stolz isn’t here because it probably doesn’t count as a Legends Tour win if Stolzy isn’t in the field. I’m claiming it anyway.
“My boss John Fletcher at NewPave Asphalt is very accommodating in letting me having plenty of time off so without his help I couldn’t do it.”
Turning point
Spurred on by his amateur playing partners, Burge made his move with four consecutive birdies from the 13th hole, the par-5 first.
Meanwhile, playing in the afternoon groups, Gilson picked up shots on his final two holes, holing putts from around 15 feet and 20 feet, to draw level after being 2-over-par, and four shots back, through 10 holes.
Quick quotes
Burge said: “I hit the ball pretty well like I have been all week and thought I was going to putt badly as I had the rest of the week. But my amateurs got into me with six holes to go and told me to birdie the last six and I birdied four of them. That was the saviour I think. I need people to get up me while I’m playing.”
Gilson said: “It was pretty ugly early. I started very poorly. I was 2-over and not thinking today was going to be the day. How quickly things can change when you’re playing golf. I’ve been playing quite nicely the last few weeks and it’s good to finally get one over the line.”
Leading scores
T1 Mark Gilson 69
T1 Ben Burge 69
T3 Martin Peterson 70
T3 Stuart Beament 70
T3 Christopher Taylor 70
T3 Euan Walters 70
T7 Brad Burns 71
T7 Peter Jones 71
T7 Scott Barr 71
02 October 2025
David McKenzie on a roll
Two wins in three events hasn’t been enough to convince David McKenzie to play more often on the PGA Legends Tour.
After featuring in a two-way title in the Easts Legends Pro-Am on Monday, the Victorian gained a solo victory in the Ausbrokers Wyong Legends Pro-Am on Wednesday thanks to a round of 5-under-par 66.
Another infrequent over-50s starter, Peter Lonard, was one shot behind, with Mark Gilson two back.
“I don’t play a lot and I probably won’t play too many more,” McKenzie said.
“I’ll just sort of pick and choose some of the better courses. I like playing on better courses, the better weather. I’m not much for driving too far either and I’m not much for staying away from home for too long either.
“I’ll still probably play more this year than I have played before, somewhere between 35 and 40 events by the end of the year.”
Turning point
Starting his round at Wyong Golf Club at the 10th tee, McKenzie played a steady back nine of 1-under-par 34 but he surged at the start of the front nine with birdies at the first, second, third and fifth.
While Lonard, whose 67 included six birdies, was able to pick up a shot at his final hole, the Victorian held on to his solo lead.
Quick quotes
McKenzie said: “I sort of changed the settings on a driver and the first few holes they kept going right. It took me three or four holes to work it out and then fortunately I made a couple of putt. I got on a roll there and I think I birded maybe five out of seven holes or something like that so it was a nice little stretch.”
Leading scores
1 David McKenzie 66
2 Peter Lonard 67
3 Mark Gilson 68
T4 Nathan Green 69
T4 David Fearns 69
T4 Scott Barr 69
T7 Andre Stolz 70
T7 Ben Jackson 70
T7 Mark Boulton 70
T7 Martin Peterson 70
30th September 2025
Nathan Green’s first victory on the PGA Legends Tour came in very familiar surroundings on Tuesday when he shared top spot on the leaderboard at the Toronto Legends Pro-Am.
Playing at his long-time home course, Toronto Golf Club, the former Canadian Open champion on the PGA TOUR produced a 4-under-par 67 to sit alongside Scott Barr and Grahame Stinson, with a two-shot gap to the rest of the chasing pack.
And the breakthrough over-50s win came despite Green losing a ball with his opening tee shot which he estimated only travelled 50 metres before finding the penalty area.
“To get a win today is really satisfying actually,” Green said.
“I’ve never won much in my whole career. Even in pro-ams, I was sort of good at coming top 10, I just never won much.
“This is pretty cool.”
For Barr, Toronto represented his seventh win of the PGA Legends Tour season, while Stinson grabbed his second title for 2025.
Turning point
After being 1-over-par following his first eight holes, Barr made his move with four birdies in his next five, only offset by one bogey. However, he was susceptible to a challenge to his outright lead when he parred his final four.
Green, who began on No.10, took advantage by picking up two late birdies at the sixth and eighth.
Meanwhile, Stinson also rallied towards the end of his round with birdies on two of his final three holes. The highlight of his day was an eagle at the par-5 12th.
Quick quotes
Green said: “It’s an advantage being able to play your home course and knowing where to hit it, knowing what clubs to hit off tees. I actually played the front nine a lot better than I normally play it.”
Stinson said: “I putted good, chipped good apart from the flub that I had when I had my bogey on 17. But other than that, it was great. I love it up here. I’m a Wingham boy and moved away from there probably 30 odd years ago, but it’s still home for me. This is a great country course and a credit to Toronto for what they’ve put on here.”
Barr said: “This is a great time of year for us. There’s a lot of big events coming up, so it’s just good to be part of it and it’s great to have a win. I had some really good guys who I played with. They kept the day pretty lighthearted, which was really cool.”
Leading scores
T1 Scott Barr 67
T1 Nathan Green 67
T1 Grahame Stinson 67
T4 Leigh McKechnie 69
T4 Martin Peterson 69
T6 Matthew Rogers 70
T6 Mark Hale 70
T6 Paul Powell 70
T6 Peter Lonard 70
T6 David Fearns 70
T6 Andre Stolz 70
T6 Terry Price 70
T6 Peter Jones 70
T6 Mark Gibson 70