Tag: Australian PGA Championship

Why Min Woo Lee rocked a chef hat to celebrate his 2023 Australian PGA Championship victory before he even won

Lee had an epic celebration with the crowd on the 17th green on Sunday.

While Americans across the country celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, Min Woo Lee enjoyed some home cooking in his native Australia.

The 25-year-old from Perth shot a 3-under 68 on Sunday to win the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at 20 under Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane. Lee recently won the SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour and last won on the DP World Tour at the 2021 Abrdn Scottish Open.

Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino (68) put up a fight but ultimately finished second at 17 under, with Aussies Marc Leishman (64) and Curtis Luck (69) in third and fourth at 16 under and 15 under, respectively. LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann (67) – who aced the par-3 4th hole – finished fifth at 13 under.

“I made it interesting early on and through the middle but I ended up hanging on and I’m really proud,” said Lee, who began the day with a bogey before he finished the front nine 5 under over his last six holes. Two birdies and three additional bogeys down the stretch were enough to hold off Hoshino.

One of the more outgoing characters in the game, Lee put on a chef’s hat on the 17th green to celebrate with fans and honor his “Let him cook” social media mantra that took off during the Players Championship. Imagine having that kind of confidence with a hole still to play. That’s Min Woo Lee.

Lee finished T-4 at last year’s Australian PGA, one of five top-10 finishes on the DP World Tour schedule in 2022-23 season. Over on the PGA Tour, Lee earned four top 10s in 14 starts in 2023, including a T-6 at the Players Championship and T-5 at the U.S. Open.

Check out the best photos of his wild celebration Down Under below.

Photos: Lee wins at home

Min Woo Lee takes commanding lead at Australian PGA Championship

Min Woo Lee is trying to run away and hide.

Min Woo Lee is trying to run away and hide.

The Australian carded a 5-under 66 for the second straight day, extending his lead to three shots at the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. A win would be his third on the DP World Tour and one of the biggest in his young career.

“I again played pretty solid,” Lee said. “A couple of mistakes but that happens. But overall, pretty happy with the way I went today.”

For the third time in as many days, Lee birdied his opening hole at Royal Queensland and added another at the third. A pair of birdies and bogeys rounded out his front nine to turn in 2 under.

On the back, the 25-year-old added three more birdies to finish his day at 17 under, three shots in front of Rikuya Hoshino.

“It’s a course where you can shoot low, so you’re going to be aggressive no matter what,” Lee said. “There’s probably a couple of holes where you don’t need to hit driver where I did the last three days. It just all depends. It’s obviously score dependent, but I’m here because I played aggressive and I played the way that the game plan has been. So, hopefully I can just do the same.”

Lee is 45th in the Official World Golf Ranking, but his last victory on the DP World Tour came two years ago at the Scottish Open. Adding a third in his home country would be special.

“At the end of last week the season, technically ended but the year hasn’t ended and I wanted a win on the DP World Tour, so it was in the back of my mind and I wanted to win,” Lee said. “So yeah, it will be amazing. Any win’s awesome. I have the potential to win but I’ve only had three wins, so it’s not like it comes off. Any time you win it’s an amazing feeling.

“I mean yeah, again, tomorrow’s just another day and hopefully I can keep going. I can just control what I can do and if someone goes out there and shoots low, hopefully I’ve finished the day happy with the way I played.”

Curtis Luck is third at 13 under with Adam Scott, who played with Lee on Saturday, fourth at 11 under.

Cameron Smith gets choked up after missing cut at Australian PGA Championship by nine strokes

Smith won this event in 2017, 2018 and 2022 and called his performance “unacceptable.”

Cameron Smith knew a good showing at this week’s Australian PGA Championship was imperative if he wanted to earn his way into next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Since Smith plays on the LIV Golf circuit, meaning he can’t maintain what was once a lofty spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, he needed to play well this week in Brisbane and then again next week at the Australian Open in Sydney.

The reigning champion failed miserably on the first test, missing the cut for the PGA by nine strokes on Friday by shooting a 7-over-par 78.

Smith, who was once No. 2 in the OWGR but has slipped to No. 18, was paired with Min Woo Lee, who ended the day with six birdies on his card and the top spot on the leaderboard.

For Smith, the poor showing left him emotional to the point where he was nearly moved to tears.

“Yeah, no words. Shit. I’ve performed under pressure before and it’s not acceptable, a bit upsetting actually,” he said. “I know what I’m doing, it’s just going out there and committing to something is another thing.”

Smith, who tied for 10th at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, also won this event in 2017 and 2018. He called his performance “unacceptable.”

“Australia’s been so good to me even when I have been tired so there’s no reason to really perform that way. I’ve performed under pressure before, it’s just unacceptable,” he said. “I just got on the wrong side a bunch of times and was trying to do a bit too much I think, it’s very frustrating.”

While Smith was struggling to score, Adam Scott was buzzing along, firing a 65 to tie for the day’s best round. Scott sits at 11 under at the tournament’s midpoint and just a stroke behind Lee.

“It’s always nice to have a bogey-free round, I probably haven’t had many of them this year,” Scott said. “I feel like my swing from the tee to the green is feeling better than it has for a while and that’s a nice thing for me.”

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Watch: Cameron Smith celebrates Australian PGA Championship win by watching replay at a local bar

Now this looked like a good time.

Cameron Smith had a monster year.

His 2022 campaign began with a win over Jon Rahm at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. Then, two months later, he took home the biggest prize on the PGA Tour, the Players Championship. In dramatic fashion, Smith chased down Rory McIlroy at the Open. Then, he left for LIV Golf where he won in his second Saudi-circuit start.

And, finally, he won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last week on the DP World Tour for the third time in his career.

For the Aussie, there was only one way to celebrate: head down to the nearby Breakfast Creek Hotel and have a few pints with some buddies. Oh, and watch the replay of the final putt that clinched the victory.

This video is too good.

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World No. 3 Cameron Smith wins third Australian PGA Championship to cap massive year

Smith previously won the Australian PGA Championship in consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.

Three was the theme of the day for Cameron Smith on Sunday.

Playing in the Australian PGA Championship for the first time in three years, the World No. 3 entered the final round with a three-shot lead at Royal Queensland in his native Brisbane. The Aussie went on to shoot a final-round 3-under 68 to win the event for a third time, holding off Ryo Hisatsune and Jason Scrivener, who finished T-2 at 11 under, three shots back. Smith, 29, previously won the Australian PGA Championship in consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.

Smith started the year with a win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January via a playoff with Jon Rahm. He then went on to win the Players Championship in March and the Open Championship in July before joining LIV Golf in August. On the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Smith made $7,378,500 over five events, including a win in his second start.

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Adam Scott reunites with caddie Steve Williams for pair of Australian events and more in 2023

Williams was on the bag for Scott from 2011 to 2017 and helped the Aussie win his first major at the 2013 Masters.

Adam Scott and Steve Williams are getting the band back together.

According to Golf Digest, Williams is coming out of retirement to pick up the bag once again for Scott, beginning with this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane as well as next week’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne. Scott will have Williams and regular caddie Greg Hearmon share the role for 2023.

“For me it’s exciting to work again with Steve and see if we can rediscover the magic,” Scott said to Golf Digest. “As a player, you experience different points in your career. Right now on the PGA Tour is a time of change, and I’m adjusting to it. Having Steve and Greg doing a job share is going to help me get everything I need and that’s to be fresh at the biggest events.”

The pair began working together in 2011 after Williams was fired by Tiger Woods following a 12-year partnership that produced 13 major championships. Williams was on the bag for Scott from 2011 to 2017 and helped the Aussie win his first major at the 2013 Masters as well as claim the title of World No. 1 in 2014.

“My goal is to win majors; I had a good run with Steve in the majors and we did win the Masters, but it’s about getting an overall balance for what I need to perform in the biggest events,” Scott said. “Steve is at a point in his life where he’d like to have a dabble again, so to speak. It’s a good balance for him because it won’t be a full year’s grind.”

Scott has earned 10 top-10 finishes in majors since his 2013 victory at Augusta National, the last coming in 2019 at the PGA Championship (T-8) and U.S. Open (T-7).

With Williams as his caddie, Scott finished T-5 at both the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Pittsford, New York, and the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool in England. The PGA Championship returns to Oak Hill in 2023 (May 18-21), same with the Open to Royal Liverpool (July 20-23). Woods also won the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2006 with Williams as his caddie.

“The time I spent caddieing for Adam was very memorable; helping him becoming the first Australian to win at Augusta,” Williams said. “I feel Adam is in a good shape with his game, and I’m fresh having not caddied for a few years, so I’ll bring a lot of enthusiasm.

“I’ve always said to Adam and to others, to be remembered as one of the great players, you have to win multiple majors. The opportunity to try and get Adam major No. 2 and elevate himself to a special group of players in history, would be a privilege.”

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Adam Scott wins Australian PGA Championship

After securing the lead entering the final round, Adam Scott won the Australian PGA Championship Sunday.

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Adam Scott sealed his first tournament win in almost four years Sunday when he shot 3-under 69 to win the Australian PGA Championships by two shots.

Scott’s win gave him the 30th title of his professional career and his second Australian PGA crown after his win at Royal Pines in 2013. He was edged into second place by compatriot Greg Chalmers in a thrilling seven-hole playoff on the same course in 2014.

Scott’s last tournament win came 3 years, 9 months, 16 days ago at the WCG Cadillac Classic in Miami where he beat Bubba Watson by a shot.

His win in front of a home crowd — he has a house close by — completed a solid year and lifted him from 18th to 13th on world rankings.

Scott finished with a 72-hole total of 275, 13-under par and two shots ahead of New Zealand’s Michael Hendry who matched Scott’s final round 69. Former U.S. amateur champion Nick Flanagan shot 70 Sunday to finish among a five-way tie for third place.

Scott came into the final round with a one-shot lead over Hendry but fell a shot behind the Kiwi after 11 holes.

He had an unplayable lie on the 12th but got up and down for par and that was the turning point in his final round. He played the next three holes three under par to surge past Hendry into first place.

Hendry’s winning chance evaporated when his approach on the 17th hole clipped trees and plunged into a green-side bunker. He made bogey to fall two shots behind Scott, then bogeyed again when he three-putted the 18th green to give the Australian a three shot lead coming to the last hole.

Scott went through the green at the 17th but saved par, then could afford his bogey on 18 and still claim the title.

“After a good save on 12 it was time to do something and I was behind so there was opportunity for everyone and I was the one who took them today,” Scott said. “I’m stoked. This has been a long time coming and I’m really happy to win another PGA here. It finishes off a nice year for me.

“It’s been a long time between drinks for me and maybe only once or twice did the thought cross my mind that I’ll never win again. It’s very difficult to win and I’m on the wrong side of this age thing now,” the 39-year-old said.

Scott’s 2013 PGA Championship win came before his U.S. Masters victory and he now looks towards the Masters in April.

“A win (makes) you feel like you’re just never going to lose again,” Scott said. “I hope it helps; it’s nice to have reassurance and the belief of winning.

“You want to be in contention and find out how you feel and respond and I got some of that today and if I happen to be in that position Sunday at the Masters I can draw on it.”

Hendry battled a painful rib injury over both of the last two rounds and only gave up his title bid with bogeys at the last two holes.

Flanagan was in the mix until late in the final round but had a disastrous double bogey at the 13th, bogeyed the 14th, then finished with bogey to drop back into a tie for third.

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Adam Scott makes 2 late birdies to take Australian PGA lead

Adam Scott birdied two of his final three holes Saturday to hold the lead entering the final round of the Australian PGA Championship.

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GOLD COAST, Australia — Adam Scott birdied two of his final three holes to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Australian PGA Championship on Saturday.

Scott had a 54-hole total of 10-under 206 after a 3-under 69 at Royal Pines.

“I made a good move at it (on the 18th) and it all worked out — you’d hope for that tomorrow to happen but you just never know,” Scott said. “This golf course can bite you so it’s important you execute your shots well when you’re down in the valleys of sin around these greens.”

Former U.S. Amateur champion Nick Flanagan shot 9-under 63 to equal the course record and move to within two shots of the lead.

“It got to a point today where I’ve been playing so bad and trying so hard that I thought I’d just go out there and not try at all, and all of a sudden, you loosen up over the ball,” Flanagan said. “I’ve got a baby due in five weeks, that’s what I’ll be thinking about but obviously I’d love to go out there and win so it’s finding that balance again.”

Americans Cameron Champ and Stewart Cink both shot 71s, leaving Champ at 4-under and Cink a stroke further behind.

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Adam Scott trails by two after second round at Australian PGA Championship

Adam Scott is two strokes off leader Yuan Yechun and tied for third place after the second round at the Australian PGA Championship.

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GOLD COAST, Australia – Adam Scott was two strokes off the lead and tied for third place after a second-round 5-under 67 at the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines on Friday.

The leader was China’s Yuan Yechun, whose 65 left him at 9-under 135 after 36 holes. He bogeyed two of his final four holes.

Scott, attempting to win his first tournament since a World Golf Championship victory in March 2016, is playing his third week in a row after the Australian Open and last week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Australian Anthony Quayle was in second place, a stroke behind, after a 66, followed by Scott and Wade Ormsby, who shot 66.

LEADERBOARD: Australian PGA Championship

Cameron Champ had a 71 and was at 3-under, one stroke better than fellow American Stewart Cink, who shot 70.

Scott’s round included a 40-foot eagle putt and two lengthy birdies with one bogey.

“I played safe, rolled a lot of nice putts, a lot went by the edge but I made a couple as well,” Scott said. ”I had to really dial it in to get it close. It was a patient round and eventually I kind of wore the course down.”

Scott said he knew another mediocre round like his 70 on Thursday wouldn’t put him among the leaders.

“After the bogey on four I just felt I need to get moving a bit here because 2-under’s not going to put me up there far enough,” Scott said. “It’ll be good for me to focus up for two more days. I need more of the same, but feeling like I’ve got definitely two more days in me.”

Cameron Smith, aiming to be the first player in more than 100 years to win three straight Australian PGA titles, followed up his opening 74 with a 65 to leave the Australian at 5-under and four strokes behind.

Smith said the President Cup, where his International team lost 16-14 to the United States, had drained him both physically and mentally. But he said an afternoon nap Thursday and swim at the beach had helped him bounce back.

“I knew what I had to do today to get back into it,”Smith said. “I saw Scotty and those guys posted a score early. I didn’t play aggressive or anything, just did my stuff and walked away with seven birdies.”

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Lucas Herbert, Brett Rankin lead Australian PGA; Adam Scott, Stewart Cink 3 back

Lucas Herbert and Brett Rankin shared the first-round lead at the Australian PGA Championship after carding 5-under 67s on Thursday at Royal Pines. The Australian pair were one clear of a group of five players including New Zealander Ryan Chisnall, …

Lucas Herbert and Brett Rankin shared the first-round lead at the Australian PGA Championship after carding 5-under 67s on Thursday at Royal Pines.

The Australian pair were one clear of a group of five players including New Zealander Ryan Chisnall, while Adam Scott and Stewart Cink were three back after opening 70s. Two-time defending champion Cameron Smith was 2 over.

Herbert went birdie-birdie-eagle in still morning conditions to begin his round before a run of three bogeys. He added four birdies on the back nine to finish before the breeze picked up.

Scott and 2009 British Open winner Cink were among the later starters and had to deal with trickier conditions.

Scott, the 2013 Australian PGA champion, made long-range putts for eagle and birdie to stay in touch despite a double bogey on the par-4 13th hole, when he hit into the water off the tee.

“I’m putting good. I’m playing good. Unfortunately I really miss-hit that drive off 13 and it cost me,” said Scott, who is chasing his first title since 2016. “Other than that, it was pretty much stress free. I was very happy with it because it wasn’t very easy out there.

Smith, aiming to be the first player in more than 100 years to win three straight Australian PGA titles, said he lacked energy after an emotional Presidents Cup last week in Melbourne, where he and Scott were part of the International team that gave up an early lead before losing to Tiger Woods’ U.S. team.

He was even at the turn but had two bogeys and a double-bogey in a three-hole sequence.

“I’m just tire. Just a long couple weeks. It was as easy as it’s going to get out there this morning, so it was pretty disappointing to shoot what I shot,” he said.

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