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May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au THE FIRST TEE 5 Winning is hard! DON’T be too tough on yourself the next time you storm through the front nine in 23 points, only to stumble home with 12 and that $50 pro shop voucher awarded to the winner on the day, goes begging. You lead the club championship with one round to play, then your golf game completely deserts you and the next thing you know they are sign-writing someone else’s name on the honour board. The day comes when you look to be a certainty to beat all your mates in the social club, only to stagger home over the last few holes. Just to remind you, if you didn’t know already, winning is hard! Ask Rory McIlroy, arguably the most naturally talented player in world golf. He’s barely taller than an Irish leprechaun, yet he hits the ball further than anyone else on Tour and plays shots mere mortals, and the majority of his PGA TOUR colleagues, can only dream of. Rory as a 20-something won four major championships and the talk was around whether he would one day be challenging Jack and Tiger and be in the conversation as the best player golf has ever seen. But winning is hard. The last of Rory’s four major championship victories came at the Open Championship in 2014 and following somewhat of a late meltdown at the US Open last year, after also squandering numerous opportunities over the past decade, and we all knew he had the game, but many wondered if he had the mental fortitude to ever win another one. Then this year he comes out of the blocks, records two victories before April, the Players Championship being one of them and turns up at the Masters as the red-hot favourite alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler. Surely this was the year. Then McIlroy opens with an even par 72, a round which included double bogies at 15 and 17. He was seven shots behind the round one leader. Maybe not. He jumps back into contention with a 66 on Friday, then another 66 on Saturday after a remarkable start to his round when McIlroy was five-under par after five holes, takes a one shot advantage into the final day and he could dare to dream. On Sunday he makes a double bogey at the first, recovers to lead by four by the 10th, before a meltdown on the way to the clubhouse, where McIlroy lost it, won it, lost it again, then prevailed in a playoff against a gallant Justin Rose. It was great theatre, however it also confirmed just how hard it is to win, even for the best of best. PUBLISHER: Sam Arthur | sam@insidegolf.com.au Outdoor Sports Publishing Pty Ltd ACN 113 836 301 ABN 30 043 104 919 PO BOX 437, Miami, QLD 4220 EDITORIAL: Editor: Rob Willis | rob@insidegolf.com.au Editor-At-Large: David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au NSW/ACT Journalist: Michael Court michael@insidegolf.com.au VIC/TAS Journalist: Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au QLD Journalist: Peter Owen peter.owen@outlook.com.au Design & Layout: Stacey Broomhead CONTRIBUTORS: Larry Canning, Tony Webeck, Michael Cooney, Andrew Crockett www.insidegolf.com.au Inside Golf publishes opinion from a wide range of perspectives in the hope of promoting constructive debate about consequential questions. 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Combined print and online national monthly readership over 210,000. AUSTRALIA’S MOST-READ GOLF MAGAZINE Cover photos: Hero: Rory McIlroy, courtesy Augusta National Media. Supporting photos from left: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan. Greg Norman, we rode the highs and lows with him, for 331 weeks ranked number one in the world, the Shark could only win two majors and well documented were his heartbreaking losses at Augusta, in the US PGA Championship and at the US Open. Jack Nicklaus, he may have won 18 majors, however he played in more than 160 and was second 19 times, third on another nine occasions. Jack also won 73 times on the PGA TOUR, 118 titles when including international events and his six Australian Open victories. But he also was second or third 94 times. Definitely a winner, but even Jack will look back and think with a putt here, the right bounce or a bit of luck there, he might have added to his impressive tally. Or Tiger Woods, who has 15 major championships on his resume, 82 PGA TOUR titles. However, when he won his 14th major at the US Open in 2008, didn’t we all think he would easily surpass Jack’s 18, until for a variety of reasons the wins dried up before his 15th was a memorable one at the Masters in 2019. Every week we turn on the television to watch a professional event being contested somewhere in the world, where we see exactly how hard it is to win. Players, either experienced and regular winners or unproven rookies, take handy leads into the final round after three good days, or arrive at the last few holes needing a couple of decent shots and a par or two, then find getting their hands on the trophy is never easy. The weekend before sending Inside Golf to print, Joel Dahman, a PGA TOUR journeyman made famous on the Netflix Full Swing series, bogeyed his final three holes to lose the Corales Puntacana Championship by one shot, and they then find out Andrew Novak at the Heritage Classic, aiming to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR, had every chance before Justin Thomas got the better of him at the first playoff hole. It was the 16th Tour title for Thomas, but his first since 2022. Someone has to win, it’s just not always who we think. Which is likely the reason why Sunday at Augusta, when all of Rory’s emotions bubbled to surface, before, certainly during, and then after finally securing the win, made it so memorable for those who watched on as history was created in dramatic fashion. Even for Rory, winning was hard, so celebrate and enjoy the victories, big or small, as the very best show us they are hard to come by. 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May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au 6 Min Woo a winner on the PGA TOUR HE has long been touted as a player to challenge the world’s best, with Min Woo Lee delivering on that potential with a win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Lee shot rounds of 66-64-63-67 for a 20-under-par total around the Memorial Park course in winning by one shot and holding off the challenge of former US Open champion Gary Woodland and World Number one Scottie Scheffler. It was the 26-year-old Lee’s first PGA TOUR victory, in his 56th tour start. He was the eighth Australian winner of the Texas Children’s Houston Open and first since Matt Jones in 2014. “I’m super proud to win,” Lee said in the postevent press conference. “It was just a very tough week. It was one of those weeks where I think just everything aligned. I’m so proud to be the winner of the trophy.” Along with the Houston Open trophy, Lee moved to number 22 on the Official World Golf Rankings list, his career-high and his first time inside the top 25. McIlroy joins an exclusive club INSIDE NEWS It’s a crazy game IN the April edition of Inside Golf we documented the recent struggles experienced by Viktor Hovland. Arguably the best player in the world at the end of the 2023 season, Hovland made some changes to his game and battled to find the form which saw him win the FedEx Cup and three PGA TOUR events throughout the year. However, in backing up the phrase that form is temporary, class is permanent, while emphasising what a crazy game golf can be, Hovland bounced back in style with an impressive win in the Valspar Championship in Florida in late March. He wasn’t convinced he was all the way back to a time when seemingly in contention every week, although beating Justin Thomas down the stretch in a Sunday showdown, for Hovland there was certainly some light at the end of what had been a reasonably dark tunnel. “It’s been quite the struggle the past year and a half, so for me to come back and win this tournament is quite incredible,” Hovland expressed following his Valspar victory. “I was not very hopeful with my game leading into this week and just goes to show this game is pretty crazy.” Hovland’s win at the Valspar came just one week after posting 80 on the opening day of The Players to be last amongst the 144-man field. “I mean, shooting 80 is never fun, especially at THE PLAYERS Championship,” an honest and forthright Hovland said. Hovland backed up his win with a tie for 21st at The Masters. Viktor Hovland bounced back to form in spectacular fashion with a win at thr Valspar Championship. Min Woo Lee, a winner on the US PGA TOUR. Despite his slight frame, Lee continued to amaze with his power off the tee, averaging over 315 yards per drive in Houston, while he also ranked second in the field in Putts per GIR, and first in birdies made. Lee would contest the US Masters two weeks later, where he made the 36-hole cut before finishing 49th on four-over par for the tournament. Short game guru Pelz passes away A NASA scientist who became one of the most successful coaches in the history of golf, Dave Pelz passed away on March 23, aged 85. A master of the short game, Pelz students won more than 20 major championship titles between them. The top players flocked to Pelz, included amongst them Tom Kite, Vijay Singh, Payne Stewart, Mike Weir, Patrick Reed, Michelle Wie and Colin Montgomerie. But his most successful pupil was Phil Mickelson, who first asked for lessons in 2003. Up to that point, Mickelson had around 20 tournament wins but was winless in 43 majors. The Pelz effect was immediate, and in the next three years he won the Masters twice and the US PGA once. He would go on to win three more majors, including the Open Championship in 2013. David Thomas Pelz was born on October 8 1939 in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University on a four-year golf scholarship, majoring physics. During his student years he reportedly played Jack Nicklaus 22 times – and lost every round. In 1999, he published Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible, while the following year’s Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible sold more than 150,000 copies in its first 12 months on the market. INSIDE NEWS IN THIS ISSUE AMATEUR GOLF 22 CLUB NEWS 29 LETTERS BUNKER-TOBUNKER GETAWAYS FEATURE 39 38 55 PRO NEWS 7 INDUSTRY NEWS 24 TRAVEL 46 CELEBRITY SWINGER 40 82 News, views and observations from around the golfing world With Inside Golf Editor Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au 81 DEMO DAYS 19TH HOLE INSTRUCTION 80 NEW GEAR 76 GOLF DIRECTORY 84 Arguably golf’s most celebrated short game coach Dave Pelz recently passed away, aged 85. Gene Sarazen Majors won: 7 (Masters 1, US Open 2; The Open 1, US PGA 3) Pro wins: 48 PGA Tour wins: 38 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 33 Wins to complete Gram Slam: US Open 1922; US PGA 1922; The Open 1932; the Masters 1935 Rory McIlroy Majors won: 5 (Masters 1, US Open 1; The Open 1, US PGA 2) Pro wins: 44 PGA Tour wins: 29 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 35 Wins to complete Gram Slam: US Open 2011, US PGA 2012; The Open 2014; Masters 2025 – COMPILED BY DAVID NEWBERY WHEN Rory McIlroy rolled in a short birdie putt on the first play-off hole at Augusta National to claim the Masters green jacket, he etched his name into the annals of golf history by becoming only the sixth player ever to complete the career Grand Slam – the Masters, US Open, The Open and the PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus Majors won: 18 (Masters 6, US Open 4; The Open 3, US PGA 5) Pro wins: 126 PGA Tour wins: 73 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 26 Wins to complete Gram Slam: US Open 1962; the Masters 1963; US PGA 1963; The Open 1966 Tiger Woods Majors won: 15 (Masters 5, US Open 3; The Open 3, US PGA 4) Pro wins: 149 PGA Tour wins: 82 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 24 Wins to complete Gram Slam: Masters 1997; US PGA 1999; US Open and The Open in 2000 Ben Hogan Majors won: 9 (Masters 2, US Open 4; The Open 1, US PGA 2) Pro wins: 71 PGA Tour wins: 64 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 41 Wins to complete Gram Slam: US PGA 1946; US Open 1948; the Masters 1951; The Open 1953 Gary Player Majors won: 9 (Masters 3, US Open 1; The Open 3, US PGA 2) Pro wins: 159 PGA Tour wins: 24 Aged achieved Grand Slam: 29 Wins to complete Gram Slam: The Open 1959; Masters 1961, US PGA 1962; US Open 1965 Ben Hogan.
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 7 RORY McIlroy created golfing history with his win at the 2025 US Masters, the Irishman becoming just the sixth player to complete the golfing Grand Slam. In adding a Masters title to his already impressive resume, McIlroy has now won all four of golf’s major championships, joining an illustrious group which includes Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player. On an exciting Sunday at Augusta, the pressure on McIlroy to claim a green jacket to go with his US Open victory of 2011, his two PGA Championship titles (2012 and 2014) and his Open Championship triumph at Hoylake in 2014, was evident for all to see. A double bogey on the par four opening hole was a setback, McIlroy giving up the lead to Bryson DeChambeau by the second hole, before bouncing back and retaking the top spot with birdies on three and four. Further birdies on nine and 10 and all signs pointed to a back nine victory march, however an amazing back nine surge by Justin Rose, coupled with an ugly double bogey seven from McIlroy on 13, set up a tense finish. McIlroy put himself in the driver’s seat with a stunning shot in making a birdie on the 15th and then with a remarkable three on 17, before he misssed the 18th green with his wedge approach. McIlroy would splash out of the bunker to six feet, but adding to the drama the golfing world winced when the putt for the win was low and left. With Rose closing with a sizzling 66, tying McIlroy on 11-under, the pair returned to 18 to decide a winner. Again, when many thought nerves and the expectation could combine to get the better of him, McIlroy responded, this time his gap wedge from Rory’s ‘Grandest’ win of all THE 2025 US MASTERS Aussies at Augusta IN and around the leading group for most of the week, Jason Day put up a spirited performance at the US Masters, scores of 70-70-71-72 for a five-under par total seeing him finish in a tie for eighth. Day was certainly the shining light, with Min Woo Lee the only other Australian amongst the five-strong contingent to make the 36-hole cut. Lee began the week with a one-under 71, before following up with scores of 72-77 and 74 to finish in 49th at four-over. Cameron Smith and former Masters champ Adam Scott were three shots outside the cut line at five-over, while Cam Davis returned rounds of 74-79 to be nine-over for the first 36-holes. 115 metres spun back down the slope to within a metre of the hole. When Rose’s three-metre birdie attempt slid by, McIlroy nervously dribbled his putt into the hole to claim his first green jacket. The win came 10 years and eight months after his previous major championship success and as expressed by lead TV analyst Jim Nance when the winning putt fell into the hole, ‘McIlroy completes a masterpiece’. US Masters notes • The McIlroy-Rose playoff was the 18th in Masters history • Justin Rose joined Ben Hogan (1942, 1954) as the only player to lose two playoffs at the US Masters. Sergio Garcia defeated Rose on the first playoff hole in 2017. • While his first Masters Tournament victory, it was McIlroy’s fifth major championship and 29th PGA TOUR title, coming in his 263rd PGA TOUR start aged 35 years, 11 months, 9 days • A fifth major championship victory has McIlroy tied with Seve Ballesteros, James Braid, Brooks Koepka, Byron Nelson, J. Taylor and Peter Thomson for 15th all-time • It was McIlroy’s 17th Masters appearance, marking the second-most attempts to earn a first Masters title. Sergio Garcia won the 2017 Masters in 19th start • Joins Nick Faldo (1990) as only players to win the Masters with double bogey or worse on first hole of final round • First player from Northern Ireland to win the Masters; 13th different country with at least one Masters champion • World number one Scottie Scheffler (tied 4th) records fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the Masters (Won/2024, T10/2023, Won/2022) Justin Rose, beaten by Rory McIlroy in a playoff following a sensational final round of 66 at the US Masters. Rory McIlroy joined an illustrious group in completing the golfing Grand Slam with his victory at the 2025 US Masters. • Locks your grip • Stabilises hands • Squares your clubface Now available in Small
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 8 Will a sixth Aussie lift the Wanamaker? AUSTRALIAN Jim Ferrier got the ball rolling for Australia at the US PGA Championship when he defeated American Chick Harbert 2&1 in the 1947 final played at Plum Hollow Golf Club in Michigan. For the first 41 years (1916-1957) the tournament was a matchplay contest. Since Ferrier’s famous victory in 1947, four other Aussies have lifted the Wanamaker Trophy – David Graham, Wayne Grady, Steve Elkington and Jason Day. Can Day, who is in good form, become a dual US PGA Championship winner? Who knows, perhaps Cameron Smith will break through and win his second major. This year’s championship will be played at Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina from May 15-18. Xander Schauffele is the defending champion, the American beating Bryson DeChambeau by one shot at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. As for the Australians, teeing it up alongside Day and Smith will be Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee and rookie Karl Vilips, the latter claiming his first PGA Tour title earlier this year. As Inside Golf went to print Adam Scott was not officially in the field, however it’s expected he will be granted a special exemption, afforded annually to players inside the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings. Before the start of the US Masters Scott was ranked 32nd on the official list. See following, a few interesting US PGA Championship stats and facts. US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au Aussie winners Jim Ferrier 1947 Plum Hollow CC David Graham 1979 Oakland Hills Wayne Grady 1990 Shoal Creek Steve Elkington 1995 Riviera CC Jason Day 2015 Whistling Straits US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS Aussie runners-up Jim Ferrier 1960 Bruce Crampton 1973-’75 Greg Norman 1986-’93 Steve Elkington 2005 Jason Day 2016 Most wins Walter Hagen (5) 1921-’24-’25-’26-’27 Jack Nicklaus (5) 1963-’71-’73-’75-’80 Tiger Woods (4) 1999-2000-’06-’07 Gene Sarazen (3) 1922-’23-’33 Sam Snead (3) 1943-’49-’51 Two-time champions 16 players have won two titles Jim Barnes (1916-’19) Leo Diegel (1928-’29) Denny Shute (1936-’37) Paul Runyan (1934-’38) Byron Nelson (1940-’45) Ben Hogan (1946-’48) Gary Player (1962-’72) Dave Stockton (1970-’76) Lee Trevino (1974-’84) Larry Nelson (1981-’87) Nick Price (1992-’94) Vijay Singh (1998-2004) Phil Mickelson (2005-’21) Rory McIlroy (2012-’14) Brooks Koepka (2018-’19) Justin Thomas (2017-’22) Players who defended their title Walter Hagan 1924-’25-’26-’27 Tiger Woods 1999-2000-’06-’07 Gene Sarazen 1922-’23 Leo Diegel 1928-’29 Denny Shute 1936-’37 Brooks Koepka 2018-’19 Biggest stretch between wins Phil Mickelson 16 years 2005-2021 Ray Floyd 13 years 1969-’82 Gary Player 10 years 1962-’72 Lee Trevino 10 years 1974-’84 Biggest stretch between first win and last win Jack Nicklaus 17 yrs 1963 – 1980 Phil Mickelson 16 yrs 2005 – 2021 Gene Sarazen 11 yrs 1922 – 1933 Gary Player 10 yrs 1962 – 1972 Lee Trevino 10 yrs 1974 – 1884 Champions by nationality Nationality Wins Winners United States 88 60 Australia 5 5 South Africa 2 1 Zimbabwe 2 1 England 2 1 Fiji 2 1 Northern Ireland 2 1 Rep of Ireland 1 1 South Korea 1 1 Germany 1 1 Biggest winning matchplay margin (1916-1957) 1938 Paul Runyan defeated Sam Snead 8&7 1948 Ben Hogan defeated Mike Turnesa 7&6 1951 Sam Snead defeated Walter Burkemo 7&6 1919 Jim Barnes defeated Fred McLeod 6&5 1925 Walter Hagen defeated Bill Mehlhorn 6&5 1928 Leo Digel defeated Al Espinosa 6&5 Biggest winning stroke play margin In 2012, Rory McIlroy (275) finished eight shots ahead of England’s David Linn (283) Lowest winning totals 2024 Xander Schauffele 263 21-under par 2015 Jason Day 268 20-under par 2000 Tiger Woods 270 18-under par 2006 Tiger Woods 270 18-under par 1995 Steve Elkington 267 17-under par Over-par winners 1960 Jay Herbert 281 one-over par 1968 Julius Boros 281 one-over par 1972 Gary Player 281 one-over par 1976 Dave Stockton 281 one-over par Jason Day. - Credit: Montana Pritchard, PGA of America. Xander Schauffele. GOLF’S SIMPLER WHEN YOU PENNY’S STARTING TO READ GREENS LIKE A PRO.
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 9 Smylie the 2024/25 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion ELVIS Smylie achieved his season-long goal by becoming the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit (OOM) champion. A tied 53rd finish at the Heritage Classic, the second to last event on the summer schedule, ensured Smylie had enough points to secure the 2024/25 title with one tournament remaining. Smylie became only the fourth lefthander to win the OOM, following on from Richard Green (2004), Nick O’Hern (2006) and Greg Chalmers (2011, 2014), with his rewards for finishing on top of the points list including a berth and second consecutive appearance in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July. “This is pretty special,” the 22-year-old Smylie said after receiving his OOM medal. “It’s a goal that I set at the start of the season last October and it’s an honour to win the title and the opportunities that it comes with.” Smylie’s surge to the top of the standings started with a third place in his season debut at the CKB WA PGA Championship, before he secured the first victory of his career at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open. “The last round at the WA Open, when everything was going south with the weather, I felt like I really did a good job with keeping my composure,” he said. His big OOM points came at the two Aussie majors, Smylie’s victory at the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club, followed by a tie for fifth at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at the Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs. He would also pick up another top-10 finish at the NZ Open. “As soon as I won at RQ, I’m like ‘right, I’m in the box seat. So, let’s just keep going’,” he said. “It’s starting to sink in now that I’ve achieved what I set out to do, which is cool.” While the PGA Championship victory earned Smylie a DP World Tour card, as the OOM champion, he also receives a place in the final stage of PGA TOUR Qualifying School, although he has sights on gaining PGA TOUR Peake and Quayle earn DP World Tour cards for 2026 WEST Australian Ryan Peake capped off his stellar Rookie of the Year season in earning a tour card on the DP World Tour in 2026, with Anthony Quayle to join him after producing the shot of his life in the final event on the 2204-25 schedule. His win at the NZ Open around three-weeks prior all-but guaranteed Peake would finish amongst the leading three players not otherwise exempt to claim his DP Tour exemption, while for Quayle the result and the reward that would come with it wasn’t quite as stress free. Playing the final hole of the last event of the year, Quayle hit a two-iron from 215 metres to eight feet at the 72nd hole, before making a birdie that secured second place alone in the tournament, the result leapfrogging South Australia Jack Buchanan to claim DP World Tour exempt status. “Just the shot itself is hard, but I think the circumstance might make that the best shot I’ve ever hit,” Quayle said. Quayle was ultra consistent during the 2024-25 season with three top five’s late in the year to just sneak past Buchanan on the OOM points list. As for Peake, who’s past and recent success has been well-documented in previous issues of Inside golf, the talented lefty was looking forward to what the future might bring. “It just solidified the fact of why I came back to the game and gave it another run,” Peake said. While Smylie finished in the top spot on the OOM points list, Peake was second, Lucas Herbert third, with Cam Smith fourth and Quayle fifth. Anthony Quayle (left) and Ryan Peake will compete on the DP World Tour in 2026 status for 2026 without taking that route. “So my goal now shifts to the European Tour and focusing on trying to finish in the top-10 on the Order of Merit there to try and get a PGA TOUR card in America,” Smylie said. Kiwi Kazuma Kobori was the 2023/24 PGA Tour of Australasia OOM champion, with other past winners including Greg Norman (six times), Bob Shearer and Peter Senior (four times), Craig Parry (three times) and Adam Scott (twice). Elvis Smylie, the 2024/2025 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion. ADDITIONAL FEATURES : INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS SHORT GAME SECRETS PRACTICE FOR RESULTS SKILLS TESTS ROUND STATS TIPS FOR JUNIORS PRO'S SWINGS ANALYSED TESTIMONIALS: "Thanks for the app Glenn. Having all your content and drills on my phone has helped my Golf so much, amazing!" Steve Halloran, St Michaels GC, Sydney "I never thought a Golf app could improve my consistency on the course so much. Sincere thanks" APP FEATURES: Instruction Drills Short Game & Putting Course Strategies The body Download the app directly from the App Store, search VA: Whittle Golf ( Android users can download the passion.oi app and search: VA: Whittle Golf)
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 10 James following in dad’s footsteps LIFE – and golf – are just that little bit harder when you are following in the footsteps of a champion. And in the case of Orange professional James Conran, it would have been even tougher as that champion was his father Steve, a winner on the rich Japanese Tour a couple of decades ago. Conran win one for the record books WITH his victory at the Heritage Classic, James Conran managed to enter the family name into the Australian professional golf history books. James and his dad Steve – the 1995 Singapore Open champion – have become the first father-son duo to win on the PGA Tour of Australasia since its establishment in 1973. Having grown up in the locker rooms of golf tournaments throughout Australia and Japan, James was thrilled to create a slice of history alongside his father. “It’s pretty cool now that I think about it,” James said in an interview with PGA Australia. “I never really realised growing up how highly ranked in the world rankings and stuff Dad was. I never really thought about it too much. Michael Court michael@insidegolf.com.au Now James has made his mark with his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia, showing the same coolness his father often demonstrated in his heyday as he scored a one shot win in the Heritage Classic at the Heritage Golf and Country Club. “It hasn’t really sunk in to be honest yet, but it’s just so nice,” said Conran. The Heritage Classic always looked set for an epic conclusion, and Conran was tied with Victorian Nathan Page coming down the last hole. Yet he sealed the tournament with a brilliant wedge approach to inside a metre and tapped in for a final birdie for a tournament winning 22-under-par total. That gave Conran a closing seven-under-par 65, while Page’s 67 couldn’t quite get it done in front of his home crowd. Webex Players Series Perth champion Jordan Doull finished in solo third at 19-under, while a number of players made a charge on the final day to surge into the top five. In the group of four tied at 18-under, both Andrew Martin and Anthony Quayle made a serious run on day four, Martin managing to card a seven-under 65 even with a triplebogey on the card. The 54-hole leader, Lachlan Barker, struggled to keep the momentum rolling on Sunday, eventually signing for a one-over 73 and a share of 12th place. Conran wouldn’t make another birdie until the 18th, but with further eagles at 12 and 15, he suddenly held a two-shot lead with three holes to play. “After the first hole, we all just put it in the middle of the fairway and all hit it within 10-foot of the hole and all made birdies,” said Conran. “I knew those two came to play today. “And they really kept me going.” Moments after rolling in his third eagle of the day, Conran hit a wayward tee-shot on 16, and couldn’t get up and down out of the left greenside trap to save par. With his lead cut to one, the New South Welshman then failed to find the green on the par-3 17th, and when that par putt slid by, his lead was gone just as quickly as it had come. With the adrenaline pumping, Conran piped his drive over the corner of the dog-leg 18th, and with 117 metres left in, almost holed his gap-wedge. When Page’s four-metre birdie chance to force a playoff slid by, Conran was home with the biggest win of his career. “If you told me that at the start of the week, I would’ve told you you’re lying or crazy,” said the 26-year-old. “I mean I played really nicely every day and it just worked out well this week.” Having started a university degree and deciding it wasn’t for him, Conran is relieved to have gained winners’ category Tour status, which helps secure his future for the next few years. “I started commerce and Accounting, but that lasted about half a semester,” he said. “A bit more stability for the next couple of years. “Now I can actually make a bit of a schedule instead of sort of not knowing when I’m going to play the next tournament.” “I remember going to Aussie Opens, Aussie Masters, Aussie PGA, they’d send me into the creche and I’d be crying. I wanted to go watch the golf with them. “I just remember going to tournaments when I was a little kid and being around all the golfers in the locker room and stuff. It was pretty cool.” Steve Conran spent almost 20 years on the Japan Golf Tour, accumulated career prize money of close to $5million, while winning the KBC Augusta tournament in 2004. With his 59th birthday approaching, he has been a prolific winner on the PGA Legends Tour, with dad still scoring the occasional win over his 26-year-old son. “I still go home now and he’s 60 years old and he is still beating me up, so that’s not very good,” James laughed. “The most I’ve learned from him is probably how to score on a golf course. Course management and just hitting it to the correct spots. “You hear it all the time, course management, but I’ve grown up watching how he did it. “He’s not the longest hitter but he would just shoot two-under, three-under every day and it added up over the week.” And while James was navigating the closing holes in looking to claim his maiden Australasian Tour title, dad Steve and mum Virginia were nervously watching on from the family home in Orange. “When you think about it, not a lot of the sons of tour pros end up turning professional,” Steve reasoned. “I think we were also the only fatherson to make the NSW State amateur team.” As for the closing moments of the Heritage event, Steve was able to share in the moment when the winning putt hit the back of the hole. “James is a little upset about the commentary saying his putt lipped in,” Steve joked. “It went straight in, but it hit the back of the hole and bounced up.” “But as soon as he hit his shot into the 18th my phone lit up with messages.” – Additional reporting courtesy PGA Australia A quality player in his day, Steve Conran was a winner in Japan and also on the Australasian PGA Tour. POPULAR WINNER: James Conran broke through for his first Tour win at the Heritage Classic, played at the Heritage Golf and Country Club in late March. Playing in the final group, Conran made his intentions known early with a birdie on the first hole, the problem was so too did both his playing partners. This remained a theme for the day, with he and Page trading blows for much of the front nine, Conran’s chip-in for eagle on the par-five fourth hole the highlight. Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au
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May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 12 A Ripper of a win for Leishman on LIV VICTORIAN Marc Leishman claimed his first LIV Golf individual victory, while the all-Australian Ripper GC won the teams title at the LIV Golf Miami event played on the Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral. Leishman conquered the Blue Monster on Sunday in posting the only bogey-free round by any player all week, his five-under par 67 seeing him finish at six-under and one stroke ahead of South African Charl Schwartzel. Sergio Garcia was another stroke back in solo third. In backing up the theory that preparation is the key, Leishman and his Ripper teammates may have benefitted from a preseason training camp at the Doral course in January, held in cold, misty and windy weather. The 10th fairway was inaccessible, the conditions were brutal however the payoff came in April at the LIV Golf Miami event. “It kicked our butts when we were here in January for the training camp, and it did the same again this week,” Leishman said. “I guess it kicked our butt less than everyone else.” While Leishman collected US$4million for the win, in taking out the team title the Rippers would share US$3million with a cumulative four-over total, the first time since the inception of LIV that any team has won with an over-par score. It was the 14th time in LIV Golf history that a team has swept both trophies, while it was the first win of any kind in four years for the 41-year-old Leishman, who has three runner-up finishes and five other top 10s to his credit since joining LIV Golf with his captain Cameron Smith in the middle of the inaugural 2022 season. “It’s been a long time coming for Leish,” Smith said. “He’s knocked on so many doors, and at times has felt probably unlucky. Even for me as a mate, I’ve felt like he’s been unlucky.” The victory for Leishman came after he tied for 51st, his worst result on the LIV Golf tour, at his previous event in Singapore a month before. “It was pretty disgusting how I played there,” Leishman said of Singapore. “To come back on a golf course like this where there’s trouble around every single corner, I think playing so bad in Singapore helped me today just not letting my guard down at all.” Leishman started Sunday three shots off the lead but quickly moved up the leaderboard with birdies in two of his first four holes. He shared the top spot with Bryson DeChambeau through eight holes, but the when the American went bogey-double bogey Leishman was out in front all on his own. His final birdie of the day at the par-five 10th gave him a threeshot cushion and despite several players making a charge on the back nine, eight consecutive pars, including a four-metre putt on the 18th green, enough to secure the victory. “I’ve played well in a lot of LIV events,” Leishman said. “I’ve had chances to win, haven’t won. You wonder if you’re going to win again … I doubted myself but that just made it all so much sweeter today.” While Leishman snuck in with one shot to spare, the Ripper squad which included himself, Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones proved dominant in the team’s format, their 54-hole total of four-over par finishing eight shots ahead of DeChambeau and the Crushers team. Despite a quadruple-bogey eight at the par-four 17th when two balls rolled into the water, Spain’s Jon Rahm still managed a tie for ninth, a result that keeps his streak alive of finishing inside the top 10 in every LIV Golf tournament that he’s completed (17 total). Joaquin Niemann finished in a tie for 33rd in Miami but remained atop the season-long LIV Individual Championship standings. Leishman jumped 15 spots into fourth place. – ADDITIONAL REPORTING LIV GOLF MEDIA Ripper GC were dominant in registering an eight shot win in the teams event at LIV Golf Miami. Marc Leishman claimed his first LIV Golf victory at Doral in Miami. 4 LEVELS OF SAFETY Visit: www.trojanbattery.com
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May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 14 Crowe books a return trip to St Andrews A YOUNG lion showed he is ready to roar onto one of the world’s biggest golf stages following Harrison Crowe’s win in the National Tournament in Victoria in late March. This 23-year-old captured the imagination of the golfing public a couple of years ago with his famous shot from outside nearby Dunvegan Hotel, launching a shot over numerous buildings to land on the 18th green at the Home Of Golf, St Andrews. Now Crowe, who cut his teeth playing St Michaels Golf Club in Sydney’s east, has shown he has much more golf game than that with his most impressive professional win. And the irony of that is the win earned Crowe a return to St Andrews to play in the Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour in October. That will see him playing St Andrews (Old) as well as Kingsbarns and Carnoustie and the chance to show the world how far he has come since that night when a few beers saw him accept a challenge. Crowe defied 50km/h winds that whipped across the Gunnamatta Course to post the only bogeyfree round of the final day of the 2024/2025 PGA Tour of Australasia season. Rhodes records a win in Wollongong BRITAIN’S Mimi Rhodes claimed her first professional win on the Ladies European Tour (LET) with a two-shot victory at the Ford Women’s NSW Open at Wollongong Golf Club. Starting as the overnight leader, Rhodes built on her experience from three Curtis Cup appearances for Great Britain to secure the Jan Stephenson Trophy, finishing the tournament at 17-under par after a bogey-free final round. “I’m still in shock, but I’m so happy. I’ve worked really hard. I didn’t have a great week last week, so I wasn’t really expecting much. But I went through a bit of a swing change, and it obviously worked this week. So yeah, I’m just really happy,” Rhodes said in reflecting on her win. Asked about her nerves coming down the stretch, the 24-yearold added. “I was fine for the front nine, but when it started to get tight, I got a bit stressed. I was asking my caddy how the group in front was doing and how many shots ahead I was. But I just kept breathing, stayed focused, and tried not to think ahead. It’s difficult in those situations, but yeah, I’m just really glad I got it done. “I didn’t even realise I hadn’t made a bogey in the last two rounds. I was just trying to stay calm and focused out there,” she added. Crowe shot a four-under 68 to finish at 19-under for the tournament, two strokes clear of Queenslander Anthony Quayle (69). “I’ve been hanging around for this win for quite a while,” said Crowe. “It just feels great to finally get it done and I feel like this could be the one that kind of kicks the door down a little bit more.” A superb five-iron into the 14th gave Crowe a three-shot buffer over the closing holes. Michael Court michael@insidegolf.com.au After a win in the final event of the 2024/2025 season, Harrison Crowe has earned a return trip to St Andrews for the Dunhill Links Championship in October. Western Australian Kirsten Rudgeley, with a three-under par final round of 68 and Italian visitor Alessandra Fanali, tied for second two shots behind the winner. Rhodes collected $75,000 for the victory. Next up for the women was the World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong Golf Course in the NSW southern tablelands (see report page 21). The Ford Women’s NSW Open was proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. “That was one of the best shots I’ve hit,” said Crowe. “I think I had 175 (metres) to the pin and I just thought, I’m going to hit five-iron and hit it low. “To save par on the hole before and then to hit that shot into there just calmed me down. “It was very testing out there and I had to stay really in the moment.” “I think I did a really good job of just being present and staying really patient.” Mimi Rhodes, the winner of the 2025 Ford NSW Open.
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 15 HARRISON Crowe’s win at The National Tournament saw him move up to finish eighth on the final PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit points list, however there were plenty of others who trended in the right direction during the recently completed summer season. Here’s a look at some of the biggest improvers who finished inside the top 20 on the inal 2025/2025 OOM. Cory Crawford – up 118 places from 2023/2024 to No.13 in 2024/2025 The highlight of Crawford’s summer was a one-shot win at the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links in December, his first on Tour in more than seven years. The 32-year-old Queenslander had top-20s in five consecutive events, adding a tie for seventh at Webex Players Series Victoria after the ChristmasNew Year break Tyler Hodge – up 101 to No.20 The New Zealander produced the best result of his career with a win at the Wallace Development NZ PGA Championship at Hastings, while his other big points hauls came with an 11th at the Ford NSW Open and share of eighth at the Heritage Classic. Ryan Peake – up 79 to No.2 The West Australian’s thrilling one-shot win at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport was one of the big highlights of 2024/25. Less than 12 months after playing in the Tour Q School, the lefthander earned a winner’s category on the PGA Tour of Australasia, as well as Asian Tour and a 2025/26 DP World Tour card. He also had five other top 10s on his summer record. Jack Buchanan – up 65 to No.6 In his second year as a professional, Buchanan was one of the stars of the first half of the 2024/25 season, beating Jordan Doull in a playoff for his first Tour win at the WA PGA Championship, before coming from behind to claim Webex Players Series South Australia in front of a home crowd. He also produced a T5 finish at the Ford NSW Open and a seasonending T6 at The National Tournament. James Conran – up 64 to No.15 Conran came close to his first PGA Tour of Australasia title, finishing as runner-up to Will Bruyeres in the PNG Open and when he next made it into contention at the Heritage Classic, he completed the job, producing a fantastic wedge shot on the final hole to set up a tournament-clinching birdie and a oneshot margin over Nathan Page. Jack Thompson – up 60 to No.16 The South Australian came within a shot of forcing a playoff with Ryan Peake after closing with a brilliant 63 at th4 NZ Open at Millbrook. That result came after a T9 at Webex Players Series Sydney. Corey Lamb – up 53 to No.9 Lamb was equal second at Webex Players Series SA and the Ford NSW Open and third at the Gippsland Super 6. He was also well in contention at Webex Players Victoria before finishing tied for 11th. A place inside the top 10 on the Order of Merit represented a huge jump for the NSW pro who came through Qualifying School last April. Elvis Smylie – up 30 to No.1 Two victories, including an Aussie major, plus another five top-10 finishes made it a season to remember for the young Queenslander who now has a DP World Tour card and a position in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Smylie also produced arguably the shot of the year – an approach in near-gale force winds setting up a birdie to clinch the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club. Blake Proverbs – up 24 to No.17 The Queenslander was one of 13 first-time winners on Tour this season, triumphing in a playoff against Jason Norris at Webex Players Series Murray River. Earlier in the season, Proverbs showed his liking for Nudgee Golf Club with a tie for third at the Queensland PGA Championship after being a joint runner-up in the same event 12 months earlier Harrison Crowe – up 18 to No.8 A victory at the season-ending National Tournament was a just reward for the former Asia-Pacific Champion and GA Rookie Squad member. He fired in the big events with a T5 at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, T7 at the Ford NSW Open and T8 at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. His bogey-free 68 in strong winds to close out the win at The National was one of the rounds of the season. The big Aussie improvers for 2024/2025 Corey Lamb may not have registered a win, but his form was ultra consistent during the Australian golfing summer. Cory Crawford, a winner of the Vic PGA in December, was one of the big improvers on the Australasian Tour Order of Merit in 2024/2025.
May 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 16 Vaughan Somers – a lifetime devoted to the ‘toughest game of all’ VAUGHAN Somers reckons golf is the toughest game in the world from the time you pick up a club. “For a start, it’s the most ill-designed bat in sport,” he says with the trademark dry Queensland sense of humour. “And the club head points up which means your natural instinct is to try to ‘lift’ the ball in the air when you actually have to hit down on it. “Added to this, the thought of taking a divot is so foreign to everyone but particularly to female golfers. People just can’t stand the thought of digging up the ground.” Then there’s the not insignificant matter of putting. “Amateur golfers always say they’re pretty good putters. When I say ‘well count your putts next time’ and they realise they’re pretty poor. The biggest thing is to aim where you want the ball to go. Most amateurs don’t do that. In fact, this is often the case with every shot they play, not just putting.” But rest assured all you amateur golfers out there, the man who was a regular and popular figure on the Australian Tour in the golden era of the game, says it can be just as tough at the elite level, especially when “the wheels fall off.” “Then it is probably the most unfair and inequitable game. There’s a 12- hour gap between the first and last tee times. You can hit off in beautiful weather in the morning and six hours later the rest of the field are playing in foul, wet, windy weather. Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au “A bad bounce, or hitting a rock, can cost you and suddenly your tournament can unravel very quickly. And when it happens, especially to young players, it happens spectacularly and very publicly over a period of sometimes four hours. It is death by a thousand cuts.” He points out the difference in a game like tennis, where if you miss your first serve, you get another one immediately. And adds, that all players face each other in equal conditions on a flat, dry surface. And if you are having a bad day, at least it’s over very quickly. The gregarious and extremely likeable Somers is sharing his thoughts at the Melbourne Golf Academy at the neighbouring Capital Golf Club where he is now the GM and head professional. The Capital was designed for Melbourne businessman and racehorse owner Lloyd Williams by the late Peter Thomson and his partners, the late Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett. Williams was a friend of Somers’ father, Fred, who did some punting for the leviathan gambler in his hey-day and looked after the young businessman in Queensland during the Magic Millions Carnival. Williams returned the favour for Vaughan and his two sons, Sam and Harrison, in Melbourne during a difficult time in the golfer’s marriage. “I was very lucky in the time I played golf. The game was firing all over the country. One time they had to shut the gates at Huntingdale during the Masters founded by David Inglis and Frank Williams and there were 40,000 people there. “Tony Charlton revolutionised the way the tournaments were presented in Australia by taking the Victorian Open to the next level,” he says. It was indeed a golden era. Thomson, Graham Marsh and Kel Nagle were still playing, even though they were a bit older. And then along came the larger-than-life personalities like Ian Stanley, Jack Newton, Bob Shearer, Stewart Ginn and Rodger Davis. The galleries jammed into every tournament and they loved it. So did Vaughan Somers. “It was fantastic and I was lucky enough to be part of it. I won the North Coast Open in Coffs Harbour. It doesn’t sound like much. But everyone was playing. There were maybe five of six major winners in it. “There was nothing like it and I loved it. You embraced the crowd, spoke to everyone and took them along for the ride,” he says. “It was fantastic and the crowd loved it. I was very lucky.” Somers laughs when he remembers winning a unit on the Gold Coast for a hole in one at a tournament. It was said to be worth $180,000 at the time. “It turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. It wasn’t even built and by the time I sold it I was up for provisional tax as well as income tax. I didn’t get much out of it.” He says he always prided himself on playing in the Open Championship and making the cut on most occasions. “I played a lot in Europe and was never really drawn to America,” he says. “But it was a lot more rustic in those days. You would carry your own bags and practice balls and once you got outside the UK you found most of the courses were in out of the way places. Then you had the language barrier and different food.” He laughs when he remembers helping the great Lee Trevino lift his clubs off the bus in Switzerland. “He said, ‘Son never lift anything heavier than a wine glass. Pay someone to do it’.” A traditionalist, Somers doesn’t like LIV golf in any shape or form. “It’s ok if you want to go and throw beer cans and carry on. But what is it? For starters it’s only 54 holes and nobody will remember who won them.” The game is going through a personality void at the moment and it’s not surprising. “We had Palmer, Nicklaus then Tom Watson, Norman, Seve (Ballesteros) and (Nick) Faldo and of course Tiger (Woods) for 15 years. (Bryson) DeChambeau looked he could have been ‘the man’ for a while but ‘no’.” Vaughan says his younger brother, Perry, who holds hickory golf championship titles in Europe and Australia, is a traditionalist when it comes to golf and reckons he was “born 50 years too late.” “He was a much better player than me but no good under tournament pressure. He’s lucked out though. He lives in Germany and is married to the mayor of Cologne (Henriette Reker). He’s the top professional at Country Club Velderhof. “Only the rich play golf in Germany. He takes members to Spain when it’s snowing in Germany. They love him. He dresses like a ‘toff’.” The bigger story, though, concern’s Perry’s wife, Henriette, stabbed 10 times during her electoral campaign some years ago because her attacker did not like her stance on immigration. Her attacker was sentenced to 14 years jail. Thankfully Henriette survived the attack and remains Mayor of Cologne. Vaughan Somers - Playing career BORN in Queensland, Somers had success as a tournament professional, winning the 1975 North Coast event in Coffs Harbour and the 1985 Ford SA Open. He also had other top three finishes including runnerup in both the 1983 KLM Dutch Open and the 1986 Victorian Open, and third place in the 1987 Australian Masters Somers played in multiple Open Championships, making the cut four times with his best finish a tie for 21st place in the 1986 event. Somers is the father of two sons and works as the General Manager of the Melbourne Golf Academy (MGA), located on the Melbourne sandbelt. Vaughan Somers was a more than handy tournament professional back in the day. Somers (far right) now keeps himself busy as the General Manager at the popular Melbourne Golf Academy. Vaughan’s brother Perry Somers is resident in Germany and a leading Hickory Golf proponent.
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