Tag: ISPS Handa Australian Open

Pair of LIV Golf players pick up DP World Tour wins in South Africa, Australia

It was a LIV Golf takeover on the DP World Tour this weekend.

It was a LIV Golf takeover on the DP World Tour this weekend.

Joaquin Niemann made an eagle on the second playoff hole to defeat Rikuya Hoshino and become the first South American winner of the ISPS Handa Australian Open at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney on Sunday. The 25-year-old Chilean had a chance to earn his victory a hole prior with an even shorter eagle putt but missed.

“It was a nice day. These last two playoff holes showed how I have been playing the last few weeks here in Australia,” said Niemann. “My putting hasn’t been the best, but I’ve been working hard on it and it was nice to make that last putt.

Down in South Africa, Dean Burmester went back-to-back with a three-shot win at the Investec South African Open Championship. Burmester won last week’s Joburg Open, also by three shots.

“Back-to-back. I’ve never done that before so that was special,” Burmester said after the round. “It’s obviously one as a South African that I’ve always wanted to win. To be involved in this tournament and to win it, with a bank that used to sponsor me and got me off the ground when I was just a kid, is super special … so to be the SA Open champion is something I’ll never forget.”

Investec South African Open Championship
Dean Burmester celebrates with the trophy after winning during day four of the Investec South African Open Championship at Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate on December 03, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)

Burmester finished the season 14th on LIV Golf’s points list for 2023 thanks to five top-10 showings, including a third place finish in Orlando. Niemann was a bit further down in 21st, also with five top-10 finishes.

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Min Woo Lee, leading by 3, is in position to pull off the Australian double

Min Woo Lee is an electric factory.

Min Woo Lee is an electric factory.

The 25-year-old Australian, at a career-high 38th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is in position for the Aussie double, leading the ISPS Handa Australian Open by three shots heading to the weekend. Last week, he won the Australian PGA Championship.

Lee shot 7-under 64 on Friday at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, including a phenomenal tap-in eagle on his closing hole. Playing from the pine straw, Lee hit a towering draw over water, and it landed on the green and spun toward the hole, leaving him an easy putt to finish his last eight holes in 6 under.

Lee sits at 12 under for the tournament and is three shots ahead of Scotland’s Connor Syme and American Patrick Rodgers.

“It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole, it’s even nicer,” Lee said. “I didn’t think that we could beat last week’s crowds, but we’ve very nearly done it before the weekend, so it’s unreal. It’s really fun. Most of my golf has been really good because of the crowd and the support, and I’m really happy for that.”

Adam Scott and Cam Smith are in a tie for 27th at 4 under. Last week, Smith missed the cut at the Australian PGA, where he was the defending champion.

In the women’s competition, South Korea’s Jiyai Shin holds a two-shot lead over defending champion Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa following a 4-under 68 at The Australian.

Aussies fall short Sunday of men’s, women’s titles at home ISPS Handa Australian Open

The final round wasn’t kind to the Aussies playing in their national open.

The unique ISPS Handa Australian Open – held over two courses with men’s, women’s and all-abilities divisions playing concurrently – featured a trio of great finishes on Sunday, but the final round wasn’t kind to the natives in their national open.

On the men’s side, 54-hole leader Adam Scott struggled to a 2-over 72 thanks to a crucial double-bogey on the par-4 17th. After making eagle at the par-5 18th the previous two rounds at Victoria Golf Club, the 2013 Masters champion instead signed for a par on Sunday to seal his runner-up fate at 9 under. Adrian Meronk, on the other hand, eagled the final hole to sign for a 4-under 66 to extend his winning margin to five shots at 14 under.

Two more Aussies finished in the top five as Aussie Min Woo Lee placed third at 8 under, with Haydn Barron T-4 at 7 under alongside Alejandro Canizares.

“I’m super excited and to finish like that on the 18th hole is just unreal,” said Meronk.

On the women’s side, three Aussies finished Nos. 3-5 while Ashleigh Buhai claimed a one-shot win over Jiyai Shin at 12 under after Shin missed a putt to force a playoff on the final hole. Hannah Green led after 54 holes, but similar to Scott, a 2-over 72 on Sunday saw her fall off the pace to finish two shots back in third at 10 over. Grace Kim was 2 under through 15 holes in the final round but a costly double-bogey on the par-5 18th brought her back to even on the day and fourth at 9 under for the tournament. Minjee Lee shot a 1-under 71 to finish fifth at 8 under.

Kipp Popert won the all-abilities division with ease thanks to the lone round under par on Sunday, a 3-under 69. Currently No. 1 on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability, Popert finished the three-round event at 2 under, seven shots clear of runner-up Kurtis Barkley.

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Cameron Smith misses cut after being ‘a few too many beers deep’; Adam Scott leads ISPS Handa Australian Open

Cameron Smith was out late on Friday when he found out he had an early tee time on Saturday.

Adam Scott knows how to close a performance with a showstopper.

For the second straight day at the 2022 ISPS Handa Australian Open, Scott eagled the final hole, which was enough to leapfrog Adrian Meronk for the 54-hole lead of the DP World Tour event in Melbourne, Australia.

Scott played solid and smooth en route to a 67 on Saturday, a day after he scorched his way into the lead with a 63.

According to stats guru Justin Ray, Scott is 9-for-15 in converting over the last 15 years when he has a stake in the lead after 54 holes.

Meronk, who birdied six of his first eight holes, had the best third-round score, posting a 63 to briefly take the lead before Scott’s final-hole heroics.

Meanwhile, Cameron Smith — who won the Australian PGA Championship for a third time last week — admitted after shooting a third-round 69 that he didn’t realize he would be playing on Saturday and spent some of Friday night in a pub.

The event cut to 60 players after Friday’s round — and again to 30 after the third round of play — and he was out late on Friday when he found out he had an early tee time on Saturday,

“I was pretty quick to the pub (after Friday’s round) and, yeah, was probably a few too many beers deep and then I realized we had an early tee time, so I got back on the waters and was a good boy the rest of the night,” Smith said.

He made the turn at 1-over 36, but then came home in 33, good enough for his best round of the week. It wasn’t good enough to make the final cut, however.

“I thought I had it in me today and hit lots of good golf shots, and just couldn’t really capitalize. Just not my week,” Smith said.

On the women’s side, Jiyai Shin used a 67 to grab the lead after three rounds, with Ashleigh Buhai one stroke back and Hannah Green two off the pace.

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Adam Scott surges into lead after second round of ISPS Handa Australian Open

Adam Scott moved up the leaderboard on Friday.

With the DP World Tour’s 2023 season getting underway with two events in Australia in the past two weeks, it was to be expected to see many Aussies playing in their home country.

After the second round at the 2022 ISPS Handa Australian Open, It’s looking as if a native could capture the trophy for the second straight week.

Last week, it was World No. 3 Cameron Smith coming away with the title. Now, Adam Scott is looking for a win Down Under. Scott fired a 7-under 63 at Victoria Golf Club on Friday in Melbourne, capped with an eagle on the closing par-5 18th to move into a share of the lead following the second round.

“It was a good day,” the 42-year-old Scott said. “There’s a lot of trouble out here, and I was aware of it every hole. I managed to stay out of it most of today. Turned things around and in a good spot going into the weekend.”

Scott’s round consisted of five birdies and the eagle. On Thursday, he shot 1 under at Kingston Heath Golf Club, a round that included seven birdies but also four bogeys and a double.

He shares the lead with David Micheluzzi, who matched Scott’s 71 with one of his own on Friday at Kingston Heath. The duo has a three-shot lead over a trio of players tied for third.

Smith shot his second straight round of 1 over on Friday, but he made the cut on the number.

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‘That is as bad as I’ve played in a long time’: Cameron Smith off to ‘rubbish’ start at ISPS Handa Australian Open

The world No. 3 won the Australian PGA Championship for a third time last week.

Looking to become the first Australian to win the British Open and Australian Open in the same year, Cameron Smith got off to a “rubbish” start on Thursday at his national Open, and by his terms that’s putting it lightly.

“That is as bad as I’ve played in a long time. It was pretty (expletive),” said Smith of his 1-over 71 in the opening round at Victoria Golf Club. “I think the course was pretty difficult, the conditions were pretty difficult, but I need to be better than that.”

The world No. 3 won the Australian PGA Championship for a third time last week and properly celebrated the victory with friends and family at a local bar.

“Maybe some delayed tiredness, maybe. I did feel a little bit foggy out there at times,” explained Smith, “but it’s not really an excuse, it’s my job to do all that stuff.”

“It’s not like I don’t know how to play golf, it was just a bit of a bad day.”

The unique event is held over the two courses – Victoria and Kingston Heath golf clubs – and this year is concurrently running both men’s and women’s tournaments, with each offering a $1.15 million purse. This year’s event also includes an all-abilities division which will begin play on Friday.

David Micheluzzi shot a 7-under 63 on Thursday at Victoria to take the early lead on the men’s side, with Grace Kim leading the women after a 7-under 66 at Kingston Heath (the women are playing the course at a par 73) in the first round.

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Adam Scott’s phone went off at his Australian Open press conference and revealed a familiar ring tone

It’s safe to say Adam Scott hasn’t forgotten about his Masters victory.

It’s safe to say Adam Scott hasn’t forgotten about his victory at the Masters in 2013. Look no further than when his phone went off during a pre-tournament press conference Wednesday morning in Australia.

Scott was gathered with members of the media ahead of the 2022 ISPS Handa Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne. He was answering questions about the Australian Open’s unique format, which will use two courses and have men, women and all-abilities golfers competing, and about being in his home country the past two weeks when his phone started ringing. And his ringtone was a familiar one.

It was the Masters theme.

It’s coming up on a decade since Scott captured his green jacket in the rain, but safe to say he fondly remembers that day.

Last week, Scott announced he and caddie Steve Williams were reuniting. Williams was on the bag when Scott won the Masters and rose to World No. 1 in 2014.

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Women’s field reduced to 108 players at historic Australian Open, while men’s field grows to 156

Originally, both the men’s and women’s fields were slated to have 144 players each.

Major champions Minjee Lee, Hannah Green and Karrie Webb are back on home soil this week for the ISPS Handa Australian Open, which will be held concurrently with the men’s championship for the first time. But while the history-making events, held in Melbourne on Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs, will offer equal prize money, they will no longer have the same field size.

Originally, both the men’s and women’s fields were slated to have 144 players each. The women’s field has since been reduced to 108 players and the men’s enlarged to 156. The purse for each will be $1,150,000 ($1.7M AUD).

For years, the Australian Open was co-sanctioned by the LPGA and held early in the year. This time, however, the event falls during the LPGA’s offseason and during the tour’s final stage of qualifying school. The men’s event is on the DP World Tour schedule.

“We are fortunate to have solid depth of talent in our women’s field for the ISPS Handa Australian Open, with field sizes now adjusted to 108 women and a men’s field of 156,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said in a statement to Golf Australia magazine.

“Co-sanctioning the event with the LPGA wasn’t possible this year due to contractual arrangements in the schedule, and numbers have been significantly impacted by the LPGA Tour school, which was delayed by a hurricane. That has resulted in approximately 120 players not being able to enter the event and has led to a reduction in field size so as to avoid compromising the integrity of the national Open.”

Other LPGA players in the field include 2022 major winners Jennifer Kupcho (Chevron) and Ashleigh Buhai (AIG Women’s British Open). Marquee players in the men’s field include British Open champion Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and New Zealand’s top player Ryan Fox.

It’s a family affair for several of the biggest names as Minjee Lee will be joined by brother Min Woo in the men’s Open field along with Green’s fiancé Jarryd Felton.

There will be two cuts for each field. The first will come after 36 holes to top 60 professionals and ties plus amateurs, and the second after 54 holes to top 30 and ties (both pros and amateurs).

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Inbee Park collects 20th career victory at Australian Open

Inbee Park won for the first time in almost two years when she claimed the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open on Sunday.

Inbee Park began the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open with a hole-out for eagle from the fairway on the opening hole. Could such a dream start be the sign of what’s to come?

One could never tell by watching Park, of course. Drop in on the Hall of Famer at any given moment of a round and it’s impossible to tell if she’s setting a course record or missing the cut. She’s never too high. Never too low. A trait her peers have long admired.

Plenty of friends came out to soak Park in bubbly after she clinched her first Australian Open title. Park led by as many as six during a taxing final round. The victory ended a two-year victory drought.

WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Leaderboard

“I have been missing them quite a lot,” said Park of collecting trophies.

A look at the bigger picture shows an outcome that’s classic Inbee. One week after the LPGA announced that its entire Asian swing was canceled due to the coronavirus, Park got down to business. To make the 2020 Olympic team, Park figures she needs to win twice on the LPGA before the end of June. With three opportunities no longer available, the 2016 gold-medal winner put the pedal down and delivered.

“Nothing is really going to change this year,” said Park. “It’s a very important year to make the Korean National Team. It’s not the easiest task, and this win might not do it yet. … so I’ve still got to play really good golf.”

Park, 31, secured her 20th title on the LPGA with a three-stroke victory over American Amy Olson. Park closed with a 74 to finish at 14-under 278, calling the conditions on the back nine at windy Adelaide brutal.

“I made some great par saves out there today,” she said, “and I knew that a lot of people were going to struggle out there today, so I was just trying to take that advantage of that three-shot (lead) I had yesterday, which I did.”

Olson, who finished second at the 2018 Evian, is still searching for her first victory. France’s Perrine Delacour posted a career-best solo third at 10 under.

“I made some adjustments with my putting over the weekend last week and I’m just pleased to have seen that really hold up under pressure,” said Olson. “That was a lot of fun and I’m just looking forward to this year. I think I’ve got some solid fundamentals and good stuff to build on. It’s a good momentum boost.”

Twenty-eight players have reached the 20-win milestone on the LPGA. Park became the second South Korean player to get to 20, joining 25-time winner Se Ri Pak.

While Park has long been one of the greatest putters in golf, she struggled on the greens in recent years. In Australia, it was vintage Inbee.

“That really tells you,” she said, “golf is all about putting.”

This two-week stretch marked the first time that Park had competed in Australia in six years. She typically starts her season later in the year but pushed up the timeline due to her Olympic goals. The Aussie Open was her fourth tournament of the season. She lost in a playoff to Gaby Lopez at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

The top four South Koreans in the Rolex Rankings will qualify for Tokyo, provided all are ranked inside the top 15. Those who would currently qualify are Jin Young Ko (No. 1), Sung Hyun Park (No. 2), Sei Young Kim (No. 6) and Jeong Eun Lee6 (No. 9).

Inbee entered the Australian Open at 17th in the Rolex Rankings. Earlier in the week she said it’s harder to make the South Korean team than it is to win a medal.

One aspect that made Park’s Down Under triumph especially sweet is that her longtime caddie, Brad Beecher, is a native Australian. Beecher has been on Park’s bag for 14 years.

“He loves Australia,” said Park, “and every time we play in the U.S. he flies back home, even if there’s five days off. So, it’s not a short way to go, but he just loves Australia that much and being able to win in front of him in Australia is just great.”

Because of the canceled events in Thailand, Singapore and China, the LPGA’s next event is March 19-22 at the Founders Cup in Phoenix.

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Inbee Park builds three-shot lead at ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open

Inbee Park is in search of LPGA title No. 20 at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

After three rounds of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Inbee Park has a firm grip on the lead position. Park fired her third consecutive sub-70 score on Saturday at Royal Adelaide Golf Club and at 15 under, has a three-shot cushion on Ayeon Cho.

Park’s day ended with an impressive birdie putt from 30 feet on the closing hole. It was her seventh birdie of the day in a round of 5-under 68. It got Park to 15 under.

If Park can maintain her advantage, she’ll chalk up LPGA tour title No. 20 on Sunday. The former World No. 1 (who now checks in at No. 17) went winless in the 2019 season, claiming her last LPGA title at the 2018 Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

Like Park, Cho also birdied the two closing holes at Royal Adelaide on Saturday. A talented lineup of chasers are right behind her.

Marina Alex is 11 under and in solo third after a third-round 70. Frenchwomen Perrine Delacour and Celine Boutier are tied for fourth at 10 under.

The four-way tie at 9 under includes rookie Maria Fassi and Madelene Sagstrom, a winner at last month’s Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.