Weekly Wrap - Week 13

PGA Tour

Tournament: Texas Children’s Houston Open

Dates: 26 – 29 March

Course: Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas

Purse: USD $9.9M

Ozzies in the field: Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Karl Vilips, Ryan Fox (NZ)

Gary Woodland was the story of golf this week. Woodland has had a well document struggle with his physical health with surgery in 2024 for lesions on his brain. Then there are the consequential mental health issues of his condition including severe anxiety and PTSD. Woodland won by five shots over Nicolai Hojgaard and if you didn’t feel the emotion of this victory you may need to check for a pulse. This was Woodland’s first win since lifting the US Open trophy in 2019.

Best of the Ozzies was Min Woo Lee who put up a good defence of the title he won last season. Jason Day was also near the top of the leaderboard until an untimely trip to the water on the sixteenth hole.

Gary Woodland 1st – USD $1,782,000

Min Woo Lee T3 - $584,100

Jason Day T6 - $322,987

Karl Vilips T19 - $136,125

Adam Scott T21 - $96,525

Ryan Fox (NZ) MC

LPGA

Tournament: Ford Championship

Dates: 26 – 29 March

Course: Whirlwind Golf Club, Cattail Course, Phoenix Arizona

Purse: USD $

Ozzies in the field: Steph Kyriacou, Cassie Porter, Robyn Choi, Karis Davidson, Gabbi Ruffels.

Back to back wins for Hyo Joo Kim who jumps to the top of the Race to CME Globe points list with finishes this season of 3rd, T21, 1st, 1st. Nelly Korda finished two shots adrift of Kim and Korda is 1st, 2nd, 2nd from her three starts this season. Kim fired two rounds of 61 in her total of 28 under the card. It seems Whirlwind was becalmed by the look of the scores.

Best of the Ozzies (and kiwi’s) was Lydia Ko who opened with a stunning 60 but couldn’t get the birdies running as hot on the following rounds. Cassie Porter continues her good form finishing 13th and moves to 28th on the points list.

Hyo Joo Kim 1st – USD $337,500

Lydia Ko (NZ) 4th - $116,046

Cassie Porter 13th - $37,134

Karis Davidson T60 - 5,571

Robyn Choi 74th - $4,358

Gabi Ruffels MC

Steph Kyriacou MC

WPGA

Tournament: Wagga Wagga Pro-Am

Dates: 26 – 27 March

Course: Wagga Wagga Country Club

Purse: AUD $50,000

Ozzies in the field:

A first professional win for Steffi Vogel. The overnight leader reeled off 4 birdies in five holes on the back nine of the final day and secured the victory over Elmay Viking (Cook Islands) and Ayane Morita (Japan).

Steffi Vogel 1st $7,500

Elmay Viking T2 - $3,833

Ayane Morita T2 - $3,833

Nayeon Eum T2 - $3,833

Tournament: World Sandgreen Championships

Dates: 29 – 30 March

Course: Holbrook Returned Servicemen’s Golf Club

Purse: AUD $125,000

Ozzies in the field:

Malaysian Liyana Azizan Durisic can now call herself a world champion after her victory in the World Sandgreen Championship. Durisic shot a final round of five under par to take the win by two shots over Lydia Hall.

Best of the Ozzies were Rhianna Lewis and Danni Vasquez-Boyd.

Liyana Azizan Durisic 1st - $12,500

PGA Tour of Australasia

Tournament: The National

Dates: 26 – 29 March

Course: The National Golf Club, Gunnamatta Course

Purse: AUD $200,000

Ozzies in the field:

Cam John is probably the best player of the season and perhaps the unluckiest. Best due to his 3 wins in the season including this tournament where he won on the first playoff hole over Daniel Gale. Unluckiest because if he had just made the cut at the NZ Open and finished last he would have accumulated 7 points on the OOM. That would put him top of the OOM and he would have a full card on the DP World Tour. As it is he finished second, 6 points behind Travis Smyth and has to settle for a HotelPlanner Tour card. James Marchesani finished 3rd on the OOM and picked up the other HotelPlanner Tour card.

Lots of other drama, mainly connect to OOM finishes. There will be a full wrap up of the Season in a following article

Cameron John 1st – unknown as not published

Daniel Gale 2nd

Matias Sanchez 3rd

Korn Ferry Tour

Tournament: Club Car Championship

Dates: 26 – 29 March

Course: The Landings Golf and Athletic Club

Purse: USD $1.0M

Ozzies in the field: Rhein Gibson

Twenty eight year old American Davis Lamb claimed his first Korn Ferry Tour victory by two shots over compatriot John Pak. Lamb made his way back to the Korn Ferry Tour via his finish on the Tour of Americas OOM last season. In 2024 Lamb finished 120th on the Korn Ferry Points list and went back to the grind on the Tour of Americas where he finished third in the points list.

Ozzie Rhein Gibson was a MC.

Davis Lamb 1st – USD$180,000

Rhein Gibson MC

PGA Champions Tour

Tournament: Hoag Classic

Dates: 27 – 29 March

Course: Newport Beach Country Club

Purse: USD $2.2M

Ozzies in the field: Steve Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, Mark Hensby, Matthew Goggin, Richard Green, Brendan Jones, Michael Wright, Cameron Percy, John Senden

It’s an odd week on the Champions Tour so it must be Stewart Cink’s turn to win. Cink makes it three wins from five starts (one was last year) so its two from four in 2026. Tied in second were Zach Johnson and Ernie Els. Best of the Ozzies/Kiwis was Steve Alker (NZ) at T7.

Stewart Cink 1st – USD $330,000

Steve Alker (NZ) T7 - $70,400

Cam Percy T10 - $52,800

Richard Green T24 - $19,662

Michael Wright T32 - $13,891

Matt Goggin T32 - $13,891

Steve Allen T68 - $2,002

Mark Hensby 72nd - $1,672

Stuart Appleby 76th - $1,276

John Senden 77th - $1,188

DP World Tour

Tournament: Hero Indian Open

Dates: 26 – 29 March

Course: DLF Golf & Country Club, New Delhi, India

Purse: USD $255M

Ozzies in the field: Jason Scrivener, David Micheluzzie, Ryan Peake, Anthony Quayle, Connor McKinney, Jack Buchanan, Kazuma Kobori (NZ), Elvis Smylie, Cory Crawford, Harrison Crowe, Nick Voke (NZ), Jordan Doull

It’s a good week to be in the Fitzpatrick family. Matt’s younger brother Alex picks up the title at the Hero Indian Open to make it two wins for the family this week aft Matt’s win at the Valspar last Sunday.

Eugenio Chacarra led by four going into the final round but a scintillating closing nine of with five birdies from the 11 hole to the 17th hole, combined with a Chacarra collapse, gave Fitzpatrick a 4 shot lead as the teed off the last. Fitzpatrick took it ultra conservatively and finished with a double bogey but that didn’t seem to diminish the joy of his first win on the DP World /tour.

Best of the Ozzies was Ryan Peake at T24 and it was a much need made cut for Connor McKinney who finished T29.

Alex Fitzpatrick 1st – €375,811

Ryan Peake T24 – 22,327

Connor McKinney T29 – 20,006

Anthony Quayle T41 – 13,263

Kazuma Kobori T50 – 8,842

Jack Buchanan 66th – 5,084

Harrison Crowe MC

Jordon Doull MC

Elvis Smylie MC

David Micheluzzi MC

JLPGA

Tournament: Axa Ladies Tournament

Dates: 27 – 29 March

Course: UMK Country Club Miyazaki

Purse: 1.0M Yen

Ozzies in the field: Lion Higo

Saki Nagamine was the hometown winner this week. A stunning back nine of six under ihcluded and eagle and five birdies gave Nagamine a two shot win over Shin Jie.

Saki Nagamine 1st - 1000,000,000 Yen

Lion Higo MC

Sunshine Tour

Tournament: The Courier Guy Playoffs : DNi Tour Championship presented by RMB

Dates: 25-29 March

Course: De Zalze Golf Club

Purse: 300,000,000 Rand

Ozzies in the field: Austin Batista

An emotional first win on the Sunshine Tour for Martin Vorster. A closing 66 gave Vorster a two shot margin over Altin van der Merwe and Jaco Prinsloo.

Casey Jarvis won the OOM which earns him entry to The Nedbank Challenge, The Open and The US PGA Jarvis has already qualified for the Masters via his win in the SA Open earlier this year. The top finisher not already exempt on the DP World Tour was third placed Herman Loubser who gets the DP World Tour card.

Sunshine Tour

Tournament: Theo Manyama Qualifying School – Final Stage

Dates: 25-29 March

Course: Parys Golf & country Estate and Vaal de Grace golf Estate

Purse: 100,000 Rand

Ozzies in the field: Nil

One hundred and seventy nine players vying for one of the 25 spots on the Sunshine Tour next season. Over a gruelling five rounds with a cut after 72 holes down to top 65 and ties. Everyone who makes the cut gets a card for the BETWAY Big Easy Tour.