NEWS • GEAR • OPINION • TRAVEL • LIFESTYLE • HOLIDAYS • INDUSTRY ISSUE 237 // JULY 2025 WWW.INSIDEGOLF.COM.AU AUSTRALIA’S M O S T - R E A D GOLF MAGAZINE SPECIAL FEATURE KERRY PACKER AND GOLF FEEL THE RUSH IAN BAKER-FINCH OPEN CHAMP, GOLFING ICON US OPEN AT OAKMONT SPAUN’S SPECTACULAR FINISH THE OPEN RETURNS TO ROYAL PORTRUSH BEST IN THE WEST OUR FAVOURITE WA COURSES JOIN THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP FEATURE HOT WHEELS THE HOTTEST GOLF CARS, CARTS AND BUGGIES RESORT OF THE MONTH MOONAH LINKS TRAVEL SCOTLAND THAILAND FIJI AND MORE… GRAHAM MARSH AN AUSSIE TRAILBLAZER CELEBRITY SWINGER DAN STAINS CONTACT US: 0413 736 245 www.cgegolf.com.au | play@cgegolf.com.au STOP DREAMING & START PLANNING! BOOK YOUR 2026 GOLF TOUR NOW CGE GOLF WILL LOOK AFTER ALL OF YOUR REQUIREMENTS ITINERARY SUMMARY: Seven rounds of championship golf 5-star twin share accommodation at the Old Course Hotel and the Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews Scottish breakfast daily Welcome Dinner All ground transfers Escorted by the CGE team and so much more... COURSES ON OUR TOUR: The Old Course, St Andrews New or Jubilee, St Andrews Kingsbarns Carnoustie Castle Stuart Nairn Royal Dornoch ST ANDREWS OLD COURSE GUARANTEED TEE TIME & BALLOT OPTION AND SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS GOLF EXPERIENCE - 26TH JULY - 6TH AUGUST 2026 THIS BUCKET LIST EXPERIENCE IN SCOTLAND IS NOT TO BE MISSED.
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July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au THE FIRST TEE 5 Golf’s major championships – a left field solution THE Australian Open was once a tournament the very best wanted to play in and win, a prestigious title to complement their already impressive resumes. There are no better examples than Jack Nicklaus winning six times, Gary Player on a record seven occasions, with both members of the exclusive Grand Slam club. Kerry Packer recognised the importance of the Australian Open and poured millions of dollars into an Australian Golf Club rebuild, then millions into the prizemoney purse and in appearance fees to get the leading players to come and compete. We can give another tick to our national Open when it comes to the courses we play, with almost any they choose on the Melbourne sandbelt, as well as the leading couple recently used in Sydney, the equal of many of the great tournament venues around the world. Rory McIlroy, the 2013 Australian Open champion and now the holder of the ‘big four’ titles, has recently committed to playing over the next two years, will be at Royal Melbourne in December, and we hope his presence brings with it a handful of the world’s leading players. But where does the Australian Open sit when compared to golf’s major championships and some of the other significant tournaments around the world? The Masters now involves massive exposure and considerable hype and has evolved into a global sporting event. Last month’s US Open is traditionally a torture test and has its place, as does the Open Championship, this month at Royal Portrush, the oldest major championship with a history dating back to 1860. However, the PGA Championship, while all respect is given to the winners, is often just a glorified PGA TOUR event, with a field including 20 club professionals who spend more time giving golf lessons and working in their pro shops than they do competing, with their results annually reflecting that. And this number of qualifiers was reduced from 40 to 25 in 1994, and then to 20 in 2006. Therefore, how about a left field solution when discussing the merits of golf’s most significant championships and which events deserve to call themselves ‘majors’. Inside Golf reader, the Artisan from Scone, has offered one. 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. SALES: National Sales: Sam Arthur | P: 1300 4653 00 M: 0410 575 303 | E: sam@insidegolf.com.au Northen NSW/QLD/NT Sales: David Ross M: 0439 612 458 | E: david.ross@insidegolf.com.au NSW/ACT Corp Sales: David Andrews M: 0404 871 479 | E: david.andrews@insidegolf.com.au Sydney/NSW Sales: Michael Hamilton M: 0423 455 572 | E: michael.hamilton@insidegolf.com.au VIC/TAS Sales: Marc Wilson M: 0419 107 143 | E: marc@insidegolf.com.au WA Sales: Gary Powell M: 0439 350 363 | E: gary@insidegolf.com.au SA Sales: Brett Crosby E: brett@insidegolf.com.au ACCOUNTS: Sheridan Murphy M: 1300 465 300 | E: accounts@insidegolf.com.au Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au Distributed to over 450 golf clubs, social golf clubs, driving ranges and retailers Australia wide every month. Combined print and online national monthly readership over 210,000. AUSTRALIA’S MOST-READ GOLF MAGAZINE Cover photos: Showcasing the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush Photo courtesy the R&A Get in touch If you have an opinion on this or any other topic in the magazine, send your letter to the editor to rob@insidegolf.com.au and you’ll be in the running to win a gripping prize. st/1.3 11.5” st/1.2 10.5” putter Grips 2x major winner bryson dechambeau Thanks again to The Artisan. It’s certainly not the silliest idea we’ve ever heard. Discussion in the Caddy Shed this week has been about the PGA Championship and its doubtful status as a major. Golf has four majors. Why four? Tennis has four majors spread across the globe. Good things come in fours. The Beatles were a quadruplet. Franki Valli had the Four Seasons. Fourth is not always so good - the worst spot in the Olympics is fourth. The PGA Championship splits opinions. Is it up there with the other three majors or a poor cousin? The PGA Championship began in 1916 as a match play tournament and remained that way until 1957. In its early days it was discounted as Bobby Jones the best golfer of his time (the 1920’s) and a G.O.A.T. candidate, as an amateur was ineligible. The risks and vagaries of 18-hole match play made some top pros sceptics. With televised golf coming into vogue in late 50’s the PGA changed to stroke play. At the same time Arnold Palmer had arrived on the scene - a man with a sense of history and a global outlook. The Boeing 707 revolutionised long-distance travel. Golf needed its four majors, and the PGA was there. Originally the PGA Championship was played the week after The Open. Then it moved to August. A sequel to the US Open but like most sequels not up to the original. Now it is a warm up act to the US Open with its May time slot. This year all golf’s major events are in eastern USA except for The Open. The Players at Sawgrass in Florida, the Masters at Augusta, the PGA at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, the US Open at Oakmont Pennsylvania, the Tour Championship at East Lakes in Atlanta and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in New York. The U.S.G.A. and US PGA’s interpretation of growing the game. A left field solution is to hand. The Australian Open dates back to 1904. In the sixties and seventies, it was the ‘fifth’ major. The ‘Big Three’ - Arnold, Jack and Gary were regulars. The first in the year and most favoured tennis slam with players and fans is the Australian Open. The first golf major would be the Australian Open in February at Royal Melbourne. Unwatered greens, hot gusty winds, fully engaged fans (Australia doesn’t have patrons, punters maybe). That’s a test. How would history change if the Australian Open became the fourth major. Who would be in the new winners list for all the majors? Out would go Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan (sorry gents, history isn’t always fair) and Tiger. In their place - Jordan Speith, Tom Watson and ARNOLD. I rest my case.
July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au 6 “Best shot of my life” propels Fox to Canadian Open victory WITH his national soccer team watching on, Kiwi Ryan Fox has won his second US PGA TOUR event in the space of four starts with a memorable victory in the RBC Canadian Open. Sealing the win with what he described as the best shot of his life, Fox outlasted American Sam Burns at the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff, with his three-wood from 269 yards settling just two metres from the hole. While he would miss the eagle try, a three-putt par from Burns and a tap in birdie from Fox was enough to claim victory, achieved while the New Zealand’s All Whites soccer team cheered on from a marquee adjacent to the 18th green. “It’s the best shot I’ve ever hit in my life. There’s nothing close to that,” said Fox. “We had a couple scrappy holes there, and then to hit the shot I hit on 18 on the fourth playoff, it was pretty surreal.” Already through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the All Whites defeated African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in Toronto a day before Fox’s win, capping an outstanding weekend for New Zealand sport. “To have the Kiwi support out there, it was great. They were there all day,” said Fox, “To be able to meet them all there at the end and get a photo with them was pretty special.” Fox jumped from 119 to 32 on the Official World Golf Ranking as a result of the Canadian Open win and his victory at the Myrtle Beach Classic a month prior. INSIDE NEWS Another win for Niemann IN the June 2025 edition, Inside Golf trumpeted the achievements of Joaquin Niemann after he had won his third tournament on the LIV Golf Tour in 2025 and his fifth since joining the breakaway golfing circuit at the start of the 2024 season. A month on from the third win came a fourth as Niemann’s domination of LIV continued, the Chilean claiming victory at the LIV Golf Virginia event. Niemann shot a sizzling bogey-free 8-under 63 in the final round, for a 15-under par total, one shot better than Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri, with the 26-year-old becoming the winningest individual golfer in LIV Golf history with six titles, all in his last 21 regular-season starts. In his four wins in 2025 Niemann is a combined 27-under in final rounds, while the victory in Virginia was his first in the US, his previous triumphs coming in Adelaide, Singapore and Mexico City. Last year he won in Mayakoba and Jeddah. Unfortunately, Niemann wasn’t able to take his hot form from Virginia to Oakmont and the US Open the week following, where he missed the 36-hole cut. Next up for LIV and for Niemann was a tournament in Dallas towards the end of June, before events in Spain and the UK flanking The Open Championship. Kiwi Ryan Fox is now a two-time PGA TOUR winner in 2025 following his victory at the RBC Canadian Open. Winners CONGRATULATIONS to the Inside Golf readers who will be the recipients of the recently released book, Ian Baker-FInch: To Hell and Back. Written by Geoff Saunders, the authorised biography, the first written about the popular Queenslander, details Baker-Finch’s golfing beginnings, his days as a young professional, his Open Championship triumph in 1991, the golfing struggles that followed, and to his 25 years in the US as a television analyst. It’s a great read, one which the following list of Inside Golf readers, winners of a copy of To Hell and Back, are sure to enjoy. Rosalyn Toohey Tullamarine, VIC Peter Keogh Huskisson, NSW Darrell Margerison Nudgee, QLD Craig Wilson Moore Creek, NSW Paul Dignan Novar Gardens, SA And if you missed out on winning a copy of To Hell and Back, it is now available in bookshops everywhere. INSIDE NEWS IN THIS ISSUE AMATEUR GOLF 18 CLUB NEWS 26 BUNKER-TOBUNKER LETTERS TRAVEL 35 34 52 PRO NEWS 7 INDUSTRY NEWS 20 CLUB OF THE MONTH 50 HOT WHEELS FEATURE 36 79 News, views and observations from around the golfing world With Inside Golf Editor Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au 77 NEW GEAR INSTRUCTION MEMBERSHIP FEATURE 65 WESTERN AUSTRALIA FEATURE 59 EVENTS 80 AFTER back-to-back rounds of four-over par 74 at Oakmont, a score that would see him miss the cut by just one shot, and at 55 years of age, Phil Mickelson may have played his last US Open. With this the final year of the five-year US Open exemption earned with his victory in the 2021 PGA Championship, and now competing on the LIV Tour where world rankings points aren’t awarded, Mickelson has limited opportunity to qualify for the 2026 event at Shinnecock Hills. And judging by the response to questions directed at USGA officials during a press conference early in the week at Oakmont, all indications are that Mickelson has little chance of being granted a special exemption in 12 months’ time. Therefore the 2025 staging of the event has likely brought down the curtain on possibly the most remarkable US Open career by a player never to have won. Mickelson first played the US Open in 1990 as an amateur, finishing 29th in his debut appearance, he would play in 33 more, only missing the 2017 tournament when he stayed home to attend his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation. He was a runner up an incredible six times, one of those occasions a double bogey on the 72nd hole saw him lose to Australian Geoff Ogilvy in 2006, another when the late Payne Stewart beat Mickelson with a birdie on the final hole at Pinehurst in 1999. Outspoken and somewhat polarising, especially since his defection to the LIV Tour, Mickelson bids a likely farewell to the event as one of 17 players to win three different majors, but without the final piece to the Grand Slam puzzle. Six runner-up placings, without a win, Phil Mickelson may have made his last US Open appearance. DEMO DAYS 81 Was Oakmont a US Open farewell for Phil? Joaquin Niemann continued a dominant run on the LIV Tour with a win in Virginia. 19TH HOLE 82 GOLF DIRECTORY 84
www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 7 July 2025 HE had two-putts to win from 65 feet on the final green at Oakmont, however JJ Spaun needed just one, with the unassuming American becoming a major champion in a sensational finish at the 125th US Open. Spaun recovered from a shaky start to his final round, birdieing the 12th to move into contention, then the 17th to take the outright lead, before the spectacular putt on the 18th green crowned what only a few hours earlier had seemed to be an unlikely winner. It was a fairytale ending to a tournament which saw five-inch rough, treacherous greens, then a Sunday thunderstorm and a waterlogged course punish a collection of the world’s best players – with Spaun, with only one previous tour victory from 235 starts, the last man standing. “Just to finish it off like that is just a dream,” Spaun said. “You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor’s putt, you see crazy moments. “To have my own moment like that at this championship, I’ll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.” Spaun began the final round in the second to last group, one shot behind Sam Burns and level on three-under par with Aussie Adam Scott. Five bogeys in his opening six holes represented a rocky start, however with almost the entire field also battling the challenging conditions and course set up, Spaun was still there or thereabouts when lightning and a heavy downpour forced a lengthy weather delay. Spaun returned, recharged and refocused, the long-range putt on 12 getting him started, another on the 14th kept the ball rolling, before the 34-year-old from Los Angeles would shine in the run home. With Burns and Scott falling by the wayside, LIV Golf stars Tyrrell Hatton and Carlos Ortiz moved into contention, only for slip ups on 15 and 17 respectively, stalling their charge. Aside from the eventual winner, Scot Robert MacIntryre was next best down the stretch, pushing Spaun all the way to the finishing line. Never seriously in the hunt but in a display of their class, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler would still manage to finish their week in a tie for seventh, while Rory McIlroy closed with a Sunday 67 to move up the leaderboard and into 19th. But it was Spaun, beaten in a playoff by McIlroy at the Players Championship earlier in the year, collecting the coveted US Open trophy, the US$4.2 million first place cheque and the long list of tournament exemptions that go with it. His 72-hole total of 279, one-under, left him as the only player to better par, and two ahead of MacIntryre who shot 68 on the final day. Viktor Hovland, Spaun’s playing partner in the last round, was third, one shot further back. FREE umbrella ALIGN & ALIGN MAX Z GRIP TV CORD MCC +4* MCC* *Available in all colours - Offer only on pictured Golf Pride grips • Promotion valid 1/7/2025 - 31/7/2025 • Participating stores only Call (03) 5277 3977 for nearest stockist. While stocks last. when you buy grips 13 Scott struggles on Sunday at Oakmont ADAM Scott teed off in the final group on Sunday at the US Open with an opportunity to add a second major championship title to his 2013 Masters triumph, however it wasn’t to be as the Queenslander slipped from contention over Oakmont’s challenging back nine. Despite making the turn three-over, Scott remained close enough if good enough, before bogies at 11, 14 and 15 and the final blow a double bogey at 16, killed off his chances. Scott tumbled to a tie for 12th, hitting just seven of 14 fairways and nine greens in regulation in an uncharacteristic final round display. “I don’t know (what happened),” Scott said. “It was tough. It was bad conditions. No one really had a good score. I missed the fairway. I hadn’t done that all week really.” Adding to his disappointment, in finishing 12th, Scott didn’t earn an exemption into the 2026 US Open and will need to play his way in should he hope to play his 100th consecutive major championship. Adam Scott stumbled down the stretch to finish 12th at the US Open. Spaun survives US Open carnage to become a major championship winner 125TH US OPEN – OAKMONT GC, PENNSYLVANIA
July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 8 Claret Jug up for grabs THE 153rd edition of the Open Championship gets underway at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for just the third time in the championship’s history that dates back to 1860. The Open was first played at Royal Portrush in 1951. That year, a crowd of 8000 watched Englishman Max Faulkner lift the Claret Jug. In 2019, Irishman Shane Lowry lifted the trophy at Royal Portrush. Australians have always been competitive at the Open irrespective of where it was played. Peter Thomson became the first Australian to win the Open in 1954 and he went on to claim a further four victories Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Cameron Smith joined Thommo as an Open champion. The Shark won it twice – at Royal St George’s and Turnberry. The field will be made up of 156 players. If there is a tie for the lead after 72 holes, a threehole aggregate playoff is held; followed by sudden-death if the lead is still tied. Founded in 1888, Royal Portrush boasts one of the best and most challenging links golf courses in the world. It’s demanding, long and has tight and narrow fairways. Royal Portrush is well known for a number of spectacular holes. One is the fifth hole, aptly named White Rock, requires two of the most exhilarating two shots in golf. It’s a shortish 382 yards (350m) par-4 off the back tee block with an undulating fairway that runs up to the tricky seaside green with the chalk cliff as a backdrop. The Atlantic Ocean will swallow approach shots hit too long. Then there’s the 236-yard (216m) par-3 16th hole named Calamity Corner. It runs along the ridge of a deep chasm, leaving only a modest space to bail out to the left of the green, which became known as “Bobby Locke’s Hollow”. In the 1951 Open, the South African and four-time Open champion played to this spot each round preferring to chip his second shot rather than risk disaster from the tee. It’s going to be fun to watch. David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au AUSSIE WINNERS Peter Thomson 1954-’55-’56-’58-’65 Kel Nagle 1960 Greg Norman 1986-93 Ian Baker-Finch 1991 Cameron Smith 2022 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS AUSSIE RUNNERS-UP Peter Thomson 1952-’53 to Bobby Locke and Ben Hogan Kel Nagle 1962 to Arnold Palmer Jack Newton 1975 to Tom Watson Rodger Davis 1987 to Nick Faldo Greg Norman 1989 to Mark Calcavecchia Wayne Grady 1989 to Mark Calcavecchia Mike Harwood 1991 to Ian Baker-Finch Stuart Appleby 2002 to Ernie Els Steve Elkington 2002 to Ernie Els Adam Scott 2012 to Ernie Els Marc Leishman 2015 to Zach Johnson Jason Day 2023 to Brian Harman MOST VICTORIES Harry Vardon - (6) 1896-’98-’99-1903-’11-’13 OTHER MULTIPLE WINNERS Five wins: James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Tom Watson and Peter Thomson. Four wins: Walter Hagen, Tom Morris Sr, Tom Morris jr, Willie Park Sr and Bobby Locke. Three wins: Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Bob Ferguson, James Anderson and Henry Cotton. Two wins: Willie Park Jr, Bob Martin, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Harold Hilton, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Padraig Harrington. CHAMPIONS BY NATIONALITY Nationality Wins Winners United States 47 32 Scotland 41 22 England 22 13 South Africa 10 4 Australia 10 4 Jersey 7 2 Northern Ireland 3 3 Spain 3 1 Ireland 3 2 Zimbabwe 1 1 Argentina 1 1 France 1 1 Italy 1 1 New Zealand 1 1 Sweden 1 1 Aussies at the ’25 Open CAMERON Smith will look to recapture the form which saw him outduel Rory McIlroy at St Andrews to become the ‘Champion Golfer’ of 2022, while a handful of Australians had qualified to join him at Royal Portrush in the event which tees off from July 17 to 20. Adam Scott, who first played the Open in 2001 and will make his 97th consecutive major championship appearance at Portrush, will be joined by Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Elvis Smylie, with Marc Leishman, Curtis Luck, along with American Ryggs Johnston, also exempt due to their placings at the 2024 Australian Open. The Australian Open, played at Victoria and Kingston Heath, doubled as an Open Championship qualifying event. Johnston was the unlikely winner, with Leishman and Luck the next highest finishers not already in the Open field. Final qualifying will also take place at four sites in the UK in the lead up to the Open in affording players a last opportunity to play at Royal Portrush. Cameron Smith, the ‘Champion Golfer’ in 2022, will be looking to recapture the form that saw him win the Open Championship at St Andrews. The Royal Portrush course, host venue for the 153rd Open Championship. American Xander Schauffele will be the defending champion at Royal Portrush. Peter Thomson, a five-time Open champion. MOST CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES Young Tom Morris (4) 1868-’69-’70-’72 There was no championship in 1871 – cancelled as no trophy was available. MOST RUNNER-UP FINISHES Jack Nicklaus - (7) 1964-’67-’68-’72-’76-’77- ’79 LOWEST SCORE AFTER 36 HOLES Louis Oosthuizen - 2021 (64-65 - 129) LOWEST SCORE AFTER 54 HOLES Shane Lowry - 2019 (67-67-63 – 197) LOWEST FINAL SCORE (72 HOLES) Henrik Stensen - 2016 (68-65-68-63 – 264) 20-under par GREATEST VICTORY MARGIN Old Tom Morris (1862) 13 strokes. This remained a record for all majors until 2000 when Tiger Woods won the US Open by 15 strokes. Old Tom’s 13-stroke margin was achieved over 36 holes. LOWEST ROUND Branden Grace – 2017 – 62, 3rd round, 2017 LOWEST ROUND IN RELATION TO PAR Paul Broadhurst - 9-under - 3rd round, 1990 Rory McIlroy - 9-under - 1st round, 2010 OLDEST CHAMPION Old Tom Morris - (1867) 46 years, 102 days YOUNGEST CHAMPION Young Tom Morris - (1968) 17 years, 156 days OLDEST PLAYER TO MAKE CUT Tom Watson - (2014) 64 years old WIRE-TO-WIRE WINNERS After 72 holes with no ties after rounds): Ted Ray in 1912, Bobby Jones in 1927, Gene Sarazen in 1932, Henry Cotton in 1934, Tom Weiskopf in 1973, Tiger Woods in 2005, and Rory McIlroy in 2014. SILVER MEDAL WINNERS Since 1949, the silver medal is awarded to the leading amateur, provided that the player completes all 72 holes. Tasmania’s Peter Toogood is the only Australian to win the Silver Medal. That was in 1954, the year Peter Thomson won the Claret Jug. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only silver medal winners who have gone on to win the Open. HOSTING RECORD 20 - St Andrews (Scotland) 24 - Prestwick (Scotland) Scottish courses have hosted the Open 96 times, England courses 51 and Northern Ireland one. In England, Royal St George’s has hosted the Open 15 times, three more than Royal Liverpool. This year will be Royal Portrush’s third hosting after 1951 and 2019.
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July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 10 Champion Golfer Australian icon IT’S over three decades since you won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. What’s your memories of the victory? There’s so many but the one that sticks out is on the last hole and finishing it off in style and realising a dream come true. The crowd coming up the last hole was unbelievable. I could really enjoy it as I had a three-shot lead. It was memorable. It was to play with Mark O’Meara too. Having my family there too was special.” You were deemed a bit of a surprise Open winner at the time. Would that be fair? “I always thought I could play well enough to be an Open champion. I’d played well at St Andrews in 1984. That championship adjusted my thinking and gave me belief I could win it. I worked hard and achieved my dream. I’m very proud to be an Open champion.” Would you have preferred to win the Masters, rather than the Open? No way, the Open. People big up the Masters these days and they’re right. It’s an incredible tournament, with an incredible field and course. IAN BAKER FINCH Jack Martin, a London-based freelance golf writer had the opportunity to chat to Australian golfing legend Ian Baker Finch, the ‘Champion Golfer’ of 1991 as the winner of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The pair retraced that famous victory of more than three decades ago, touched on his struggles which followed, Baker-Finch’s move into the commentary box and the current issues surrounding the game. Now Chairman of the Australian PGA, no question Ian Baker-Finch qualifies as an Australian golfing icon. It has an advantage as it is at the same venue every year and people are familiar with it. But with the history of the Open, going back to 1860, and the heritage of it being a ‘World Open’, gives it that extra credibility. What was your game like going into the Open in 1991? I wasn’t expecting to win. I never expected to win. I just knew I had a chance. If I played my best, I could win. I finished second more than 30 times. I was in top 25 players in the world for a long point. The week before the Open I was in a play-off. I’d won a tournament at Oakmont during the summer, so I knew I was in good form.” What was the key to your Open triumph? Trying to treat it as a normal tournament. People get so pumped up for the majors because it defines you as a golfer. If you can win one, the pressure is greater. I put it aside that it was the Open. I just felt I was destined to win it. I let it come to me rather than forced the issue. I watched Nick Faldo the year before and saw how he went about his business. He helped me a lot. Can you remember how you celebrated the victory? I was staying in a small house by the course. There were a lot of Aussies there for the tournament. Robert Allenby, for instance. John Wade and Paul Maloney. We had a home cooked meal and the boys brought a lot of Aussie beer and wine. We then walked the last hole to the green with the Claret Jug. We had a really nice time.” Did you lose motivation after winning the Open? That wouldn’t be true. I set high goals the next year to continue winning majors. I wanted to be a top, top player. I played well for a year and a half. I was trying to improve too much. It damaged my game. I lost my own swing. How hard was it dealing with your game falling apart? Very difficult. I didn’t understand what was happening. I put too much pressure on myself. I should have just stuck with what I had. Through the early 90s there was lot of technological changes. I think I was an experiment for the companies. I had new balls and equipment all the time. How low were you at Royal Troon in 1997 after shooting 92 in the first round? That was a real low point. A sliding doors moment. I hadn’t played for a year. I was stupid to even play. I was sore and stiff. I was taking medication just to get around. I only played because I was there for ABC television. It was the worst decision of my life. I decided after that I couldn’t play at the top level anymore. I needed to step away. Have you ever got to tell Jack Nicklaus that he was such a big inspiration to you? Oh yeah. I’m big friends with Jack. Nick Faldo was inspired by the book too. It’s nice for me and my family to see Jack regularly. I remember 1985, I had a practice round with Jack at the Open in Sandwich. That was a special moment. What was it like playing with Arnold Palmer at St Andrews in his last Open in 1995? It was fantastic. I didn’t have a great day and missed the cut. To play with him was unbelievable. He was emotional at the end. I still had the ball he gave to me on the 18th green. I’ve since donated it to his wonderful museum. How much do you enjoy working in golf broadcasting now? I love it. I’m coming towards the end though now. I will be 65 soon. I enjoy working with the team. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been able to stay in touch with the game. Every Monday, I’m heading to the course to try something new that I’ve watched at the weekend. I’m always fiddling around. Which player do you enjoy watching the most and why? Rory McIlroy, by far. He’s so deserving of winning the career grand-slam. He is a different level. He handles himself so well. Everyone in the media wants to talk to him. To continue to play at this high level for 15 years is incredible. The world is off his shoulders now. He could win many more majors. I hope he wins in Royal Portrush. I know he desperately wants to win in his home country. You have seen so many different courses over the world during your playing and broadcasting career? Which is your favourite and why? I love the Melbourne sandbelt. So, I’d say Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne are my two favourites. In the UK, Birkdale and Sunningdale. They’d be in my top five. Looking at the state of the current game, how do you think it will end between the LIV Tour and the PGA Tour? “I think the LIV Tour will continue. I don’t see a problem with them operating and the PGA Tour carrying on as usual. I think the DP World Tour needs to be even more worldwide now. I don’t think there will be a merger. I can’t see it. Where do you stand on the distance debate? Would you roll the golf ball back? It’s too little too late now but I’d look at limiting the driver head size just for the elite golfers. Leave the amateurs alone. We need it easier for people getting into golf. But the ball is going too far in the professional ranks, that’s for sure. Courses are becoming obsolete. I think the R&A and USGA should limit the ball. They should have done it ages ago. Ian Baker-Finch, the Open Champion in 1991. With a sweet swing and a putting stroke to match, Ian Baker-Finch was winner on professional tours all around the world.
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July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 12 Sweden’s Stark a winner at the US Women’s Open SHE came through the same academy system in her home country which has produced the highly regarded Ludvid Aberg, with Maja Stark beating her fellow Swede to become a major championship winner with a victory at the 80th US Women’s Open. Played at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, Stark outlasted World No. 1 Nelly Korda, with her seven-under par total good enough to secure a two-shot win and the lucrative first place cheque for US$2,400,000. While her first major success, it was the second career LPGA Tour victory for Stark who entered the final round one stroke ahead of Julia Lopez Ramirez, the Spaniard shooting 79 on Sunday to fall out of contention and into a tie for 19th. Best of the Australians was Hannah Green, one-under for the tournament and six shots behind the winner in a tie for 12th, while Minjee Lee tied 22nd. The 25-year-old Stark’s game was firing on all cylinders, as emphasised by the tournament statistics, the Swede third in total birdies for the week, fifth in strokes gained putting, tied for eighth in greens in regulation and 16th in driving distance. The US Women’s Open has been something of a hit-or-miss event for Stark to this point in her career, where she has either placed inside the top 20 or missed the cut. In 2024, Stark got her first top 10 result after finishing the week at Lancaster Country Club in a tie for ninth. As for runner-up Korda, the putter proved to be her Achilles heel, the American ranking 52nd of the 60 players in strokes gained putting of those to make the cut. www.richardmercergolf.com Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October 2025 ENTRIES Entries open on 7th July 2025, and are limited to 200 players. A wait-list may be available. Entries can only be made online through the tournament website. The cost is $220 (inc. G.S.T) for the entire golf program and the presentation dinner. Golf carts can be booked directly through the Duntryleague Golf Centre (02) 6362 4072. DUNTRYLEAGUE WOMENS OPEN Conditions of play and other tournament information will be available on the tournament website. Enquiries can be sent to our Tournament Director, Margaret Fleming at margfleming1@gmail.com Enjoy Spring in beautiful Orange, NSW, with 3 days of golf at our premier course. Win great prizes and enjoy a gourmet presentation dinner. THE PROGRAM 18 hole scratch, nett and Stableford winner and runner-up on Monday & Tuesday, in 4 divisions. 36 hole scratch and nett winner and runner up, in 4 divisions. Team event on Wednesday. NTP & other on-course prizes. CONDITIONS duntryleague.com.au/product/duntryleague-womens-open/ It was the second US Open hosted by Erin Hills, the course making its major championship debut in 2017 when Brooks Koepka emerged victorious at the men’s US Open. Legends share the spoils in Fiji VICTORIAN Terry Pilkadaris and Queenslander Murray Lott have shared the 2025 title at the Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic, the $70,000 event one of the premier tournaments on the PGA Legends Tour. The pair finished the 54 holes played at Denarau Golf and Racquet Club and Natadola Bay Golf Course, with 11-under-par totals in coming out on top against a qualify field of over-50’s professionals. Pilkadaris, the reigning PNG Senior Open champion, stormed home on the last day with a six-under-par 66 to catch Lott, who led by three shots at the start of the third and final round. As far back as tied for 17th and six from the lead, after after starting with a 74 om day one, Pilkadaris surged into contention with the equal low round of, a 7-under 65 in the second round, before playing strongly again on the final day. For Lott, the shared title represented his second PGA Legends Tour victory of the year to sit alongside five runner-up finishes. Close behind in the chasing pack were Andre Stolz, back from playing in the US Senior PGA Championship, and former Fiji International winner Jason Norris. “I played steady today just didn’t make as many putts as much as I did the other day,” Lott said after the last round. “Norrie and I, we just didn’t fire – we didn’t play bad, but we didn’t play great. Also thinking about the lead and all that sort of stuff is slightly new territory for me at times. “You always know someone like Terry or Andre is going to post a good number so I just kept my head in it as best as I could.” While Pilkadaris added; “I was playing with Andre. He was playing nicely so we were sort of just feeding off each other a little bit. It was a great event. Awesome to be part of.” Leading scores Terry Pilkadaris (Vic) 74-65-66 – 205 Murray Lott 68-66-71 – 205 Andre Stolz (Qld) 71-69-67 – 207 Jason Norris (SA) 71-66-71 – 208 Dominic Barson (NZ) 74-66-70 – 210 Marcus Cain (Qld) 71-70-69 – 210 Stuart Beament (WA) 73-72-65- 210 Swede Maja Stark scored her first major championship victory with a win at the US Women’s Open. Murray Lott (left) with Terry Pilkadaris, joint winners of the Fiji Legends Classic.
July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 13 A ‘Good’ innings – 50 years in golf and going strong DAVID Good, the much-loved, long serving professional at the fabulous Dunes course on the Mornington Peninsula didn’t realise it at the time, but he may have well been a witness to history back in 1976. “Greg Norman has just won a tournament, and I was travelling from Adelaide with him and (the late expatriate English professional) Guy Wolstenholme had said we could stay with him while we all played an event in Melbourne. “In the days leading up to the tournament, Kerry Packer telephoned Greg and invited him to a World Series Cricket match between Australia and the West Indies at AFL Park in Waverley.” Norman asked the business tycoon, who had just changed the face of cricket by starting the renegade competition, if he could bring Good along. “For most of the game Greg and Kerry were locked in conversation one-on-one. With hindsight, I reckon that’s when Packer sowed the seed of a world golf circuit.” The world tour – a constant hobby horse of Norman’s – almost got off the ground in the 1990’s before floundering. Thirty or so years later, the Shark became the face of new LIV circuit which has split the game down the middle philosophically, emotionally and physically since its inception. Good, now, 77, a man who has been in golf for over 50 years as a tour player and winner, business man and teaching professional, reckons the Shark was on the right track all those years ago. He says all the bickering and posturing when it comes to LIV has a simple solution. Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au “It should be like the Formula One (motor racing) circuit,” he says. “There should be 10 or 12 LIV events in different countries. People can play in them without fear or favour. And the rest of the golf world can continue to do their own thing.” Good’s time in the game also qualifies him to have respected and forthright opinions on two other facets of the game which annoy him. He realises he’s not the first to think of it, but in his view, professionals should be compelled to use a golf ball which does not travel as far. “Amateurs can still use the current ball,” he reasons. Good also dislikes the ‘broomstick’ putter. The regular-sized putter in his bag now was manufactured in 1978. “I just don’t like the long putter even though I have used it at times. How many tournaments would Tom Watson have won with a long putter? But he never succumbed. He was a traditionalist.” Good can still play and recently shot 72 at the Dunes “and probably left a couple out there” – not too bad for a bloke aged 77 who has undergone multiple heart operations – the first in his early 50’s. “Blokes tend not to worry but we should all get regular health checks,” he says. We’ re chatting beside the fire in the wonderful Dunes clubhouse. “I love this place. It’s a home away from home,” he says. He knows everybody here by first name, a skill taught him by his dad when a teenaged David worked in the family’s shoe store. Good learnt the game on the nine-hole course in his home town of Ulverstone on the rugged north coast of Tasmania. But he was good at Australian football, too, playing centre half forward for Tassie in and under age national carnival. One of his teammates was Richmond legend, Royce Hart. Bob Shearer was playing for championship winner, Victoria. Good was top qualifier for the Australian amateur in the late 1960’s and turned pro in the following year. He was forced to take a club job after five years on tour. “I had three young kids to support and prize money for Australian Open was $2000 – not for the winner, in total!” He won a handful of events including beating Seve Ballesteros in a play-off for the NZ Open. The good money flowed in Europe on the seniors’ tour. “Europe was good for me. The pound was worth triple the Australian dollar. “I’ve done it all in golf – I’ve made some money, not a fortune. “I’ve had my highs and lows, but I’d do it all again.” David Good, now 77, the long-serving professional at The Dunes on the Mornington Peninsula. From left, David Good, with Brian Twite and Peter Stickley.
July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 14 Graham Marsh - trailblazer, course architect, golfing legend AT 81, Graham Marsh, one of the country’s genuine trail blazing international golfers and hugely successful course architect, is back in Australia and living in Melbourne enjoying the company of his two daughters and his five grandchildren. “Whether it’s for the next five or 10 years, who knows? My two daughters, Jenni and Stephanie live here. The grandkids (aged four to 22) are fantastic and we look after the four-year-old every Wednesday. We’re loving it,” he says. He’s also going to try to play more golf and has been spotted at Royal Melbourne playing with his friend Charlie Baillieu. “I am also hoping to play at Huntingdale because I’m a life member after winning the (Australian) Masters there. But that can’t happen until the renovation is finished.” Marsh is particularly enjoying watching his grandson, Gus Hurst, 17, playing pennant for Royal Melbourne. “What golf gives you at a young age is a different perspective on life. You are mixing with adults – male and female – and there are certain ways they influence you whether by osmosis or directly. There are rules and etiquettes on how you behave. It can help you for the rest of your life not matter what you go on to do.” Marsh says playing with adults from the age of 15 back in his home state of WA certainly Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au Marsh’s Portrush record that is unlikely to be matched WHILE Royal Portrush is set to welcome the world’s greatest golfers when the course in Northern Ireland hosts the Open Championship in July, the field is extremely unlikely to match the feat of Graham Marsh from some 21 years ago. Royal Portrush last hosted the Open in 1951, with England’s Max Faulkner holding off the challenge of Argentine Antonio Cerda to clinch the Claret Jug. But although it has had a long hiatus from The Open rota, Portrush has held a number of illustrious events in the meantime, including the Senior British Open in 2004. And it was here where Marsh etched his name into the history books, not for winning the tournament rather due to making two holes-inone on the same hole in one tournament. Marsh would ace the 170-yard par three 11th on Thursday, using a nine-iron, before repeating the feat in Saturday’s third round, this time with an eight-iron. He would finish the tournament in ninth position. Marsh’s best finish at a major championship came at the 112th Open at Royal Birkdale in 1983, where he finished in fourth, two shots behind Tom Watson who claimed a fifth Open title. The Sutton Bay course in South Dakota, a top 100 course in the US, was one of Graham Marsh’s most recent designs. taught him disciplines which helped him cope with the travails of being a genuine world player. “When I came along, very few players had genuinely played all over the world. Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle certainly had. As did Frank Phillips and Bruce Crampton. David Graham played mainly in the US. But those players were all from the east coast (of Australia). I came from WA. In 1970, we were a golfing outpost really. “I had no idea if I would make it. I was a school teacher and sold insurance along the way to make ends meet.” But when he did make it, he was determined to travel. “At one stage there I played 17 tournaments on five continents in 17 weeks.” Marsh doffs his lid to Greg Norman in this regard. “He played everywhere,” he says. Of course, any mention of the Shark brings us to the vexed question of LIV golf and just where it may land by the time the dust settles. “Peter Thomson once told me when I took over from him as chairman of the Australian PGA that very few sponsors stay in the game for longer than three to five years. There has to be a quid pro quo: the game has to get something from the sponsor and that is money. But in return the sponsor has to be getting value from the game in the form of entertainment and connection with customers. “I don’t see that happening with LIV,” Marsh says. “Time will tell. But to me, getting out on the golf course, drinking beer, yahooing and yelling, is not golf. That’s not the game. If people want to do it, that’s their choice. I don’t think it’s sustainable. It’s a novelty. “And let’s face it the USPGA has been a very successful model for a very long time. Players have been extremely well paid, and hospitals and charities have benefited over many years.” It appears Marsh views the whole LIV shebang as appearance money on steroids. He laments the loss of Queenslander Cameron Smith to LIV right after his superb win in The Open Championship. “I think it’s a tragedy he went to LIV,’ Marsh says. “He was ill-advised at the time in my opinion.” There has also been a decline in the performances of LIV players when it comes to the ‘majors’ according to Marsh. He believes they are not tournament tough. “Apart from Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith, I don’t see where their players are going to come from. They have a handful of top players but those like Westwood, Poulter and Bubba Watson are falling off the radar.” Marsh spent 15 years (from age 50 to 65) playing on the US Seniors Tour and based himself at TPC Ponte Vedra. He has enjoyed great success in golf course design in the US – his most recent work in Sutton Bay South Dakota, a hunting fishing and golf destination. “It is an inland links golf course with not a tree on the property.” Another of his recent creations is the Prairie Course in Nebraska three and a half hours south of Sutton Bay. Tom Lehman did one course there and Gil Hanse designed the 10-hole par three. “The course I did there is quite unique in that nine holes are links and nine are in a pine tree planation.” Marsh has done it all in golf – player, administrator, golf course architect, commentator, even a bit of writing about the game. As for treasured playing moments he says his win in the US Senior Open in 1997; the 1977 World Match Play win over Ray Floyd (after losing to Gary Player at the 40th hole four years earlier) and the Scottish Open at St Andrews are the highlights. He also enjoyed winning the WA Open and amateur titles. You sense the fact that the Australian Amateur eluded him, still irks. “I lost (one up) at Royal Perth (1967) to a very good player, Johnny Muller, also from WA.” His instant recall of the loss and his opponent’s name says it all about Marsh’s competitive nature as well as his love and respect for the game – an Australian golf legend if ever there was one. Graham Marsh, a legend of Australian golf. Graham Marsh made two holes in one at Royal Portrush during the 2004 Senior British Open, both coming at the par three 11th hole.
July 2025 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 15 Wardell the big winner at Long Drive finale AUSTRALIA and New Zealand’s best long drivers converged on Carbrook Golf Club in Brisbane’s south for the final event of the 2024-25 Australian Long Drive season. And it was always going to be long hitting at its best. At the contest postponed from Sanctuary Cove due to Cyclone Alfred in February, it was Jordan Bovalina and Greer Galloway claiming the Australian Long Drive – Carbrook titles, with Kiwi George Wardell taking the major prize in winning the Tour Final. In the men’s event at Carbrook, Cobram-Barooga’s Jordan Bovalina outlasted and ‘out blasted’ George Wardell, after Bovalina had earlier eliminated No.2 qualifier Nick Dyson. In the other semi-final Wardell defeated leading qualifier Matt Nicholls, who had earlier earned his No.1 spot with a drive of 379.5 metres. “It was just great to be out here and hit with these guys. It’s always a privilege and nice to get one of the wins,” said Bovalina, who has been involved in competitive long drive for around three and a half years. In the first ever women’s Long Drive Final, Coff Harbour’s Greer Galloway prevailed in a tight contest against Muay Thai boxer Demi McNamara. “I often win the long drive events at the golf competitions I contest at club level, so when I saw this, I thought I’d like to give it a go,” Galloway said. “This is the cherry on the cake, and I have had such a good time.” McNamara had earlier qualified No.1 with a drive of 222.7 metres. VICTORIAN Cameron Percy enjoyed an outstanding run of form during late May in continuing the excellent results achieved by the Australian contingent competing on the PGA TOUR Champions. Over the course of three weeks Percy contended for a time in one of the senior majors, lost to Miguel Angel Jiménez in a playoff the week following, before paring up with David Bransdon for another top 10 at a Champions Tour team’s event. Percy’s hot run began at the Senior PGA Championship where he challenged for a time before finishing seventh, just three shots behind winner Ángel Cabrera. Carrying that form into the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa, the 51-year-old was edged out in a three-man playoff by Jimenez, then he teamed with fellow Aussie Bransdon in placing 10th at the American Family Insurance Championship. The outstanding run saw Percy moved up to 12th place on the season-long Charles Schwab Champions Tour points list as of mid-June. Another Victorian in Steve Allen, who registered his first victory since the 2002 Australian Open at the Galleri Classic at Rancho Mirage in California in late March, was 13th, while Richard Green (22nd) and Greg Chalmers (23rd) were firmly entrenched in the top 30. The US Senior Open was the next major championship for the over-50’s, with the tournament teeing off in Colorada from June 26, after the July issue of Inside Golf had gone to print. Cameron Percy has enjoyed a hot run of form on the PGA TOUR Champions. Bovalina and Galloway took home winner’s cheques of $2250. The men’s Tour Final took place to finish the day, with the top four from the season’s Order of Merit doing battle for a ticket to the World Long Drive Final. Wardell got his revenge on last year’s champion Bovalina, claiming victory with a drive of 333.4 metres. “I’m feeling very fortunate that I’ve been to every long drive event over here so far. I’ve picked up a lot of third place finishes and second place finishes, so it’s really nice to get across the line and get that dub (W – for win),” he said. Wardell thanked wife Rachel, who was back in New Zealand looking after their six-week-old daughter Matilda. “That’s given me the opportunity to sneak away for a couple days and compete. I hope I’ve made her proud by bringing home the Australian Championship. “We have so much support back home and we come over here representing a lot of friends and family. We’re just proud to put on a show and Carbrook Golf Club’s been fantastic,” Wardell added. This was the second season of Golf Australia conducting Long Drive events to show that all golf is golf, and for some, that means hitting it as far as you can. Kiwi George Wardell, winner of the Australian Long Drive Championship. From left, George Wardell, Australian Long Drive champion, Greer Galloway, women’s Carbrook Long Drive winner and Jordan Bovalina, men’s Carbrook champion. Percy’s hot run of form on the Champions Tour
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