Weekly Wrap - Week 21

PGA Champions Tour

Tournament: Trophy Hassan II

Dates: 21-23 May

Course: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam

Purse: USD $

Ozzies in the field: Steve Alker (NZ), Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Brendan Jones, Percy Cameron, John Senden

OZZIE WINNER ALERT !!!!!

Scott Hend, who might just be the most travelled golfer on the planet, claimed his first Champions Tour Victory in Morocco. Hend led after round one and then in round two Tommy Gainey had a round of -7 to go two shots in the lead heading into the final day.

In the final round Gainey collapsed with a three over 75 and Hend shot a good three under 69 to run out the winner by five shots over Gainey and Kiwi Steve Alker.

The win gets Hend status on the Champions Tour so he can now schedule tournament golf around his family and home in the USA.

1st Scott Hend – USD $400,000

T2 Steve Aalker (NZ) - $198.750

T20 Greg Chalmers – $30,000

T24 David Bransdon - $23,376

T33 Camero Percy - $15,750

T33 John Senden - $15,750

T33 Mark Hensby - $15,750

T48 Brendan Jones -$ 8,500

T50 Stuart Appleby - $7,500

LET

Tournament: Lalla Meryem Cup

Dates: 21-23 May

Course: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Course)

Purse:€450,000

Ozzies in the field: Kelsey Bennett, Kirsten Rudgeley, Madison Hinson-Tolchard, Justice Bosio, Steph Bunque, Momoka Kobori (NZ)

Oh so close for Kelsey Bennett. The Mollymook maestro played beautifully for the first two days of this 54 hole event shooting 67 and a then a bogey free 65 to go into the final day at -13 and three shots ahead of her nearest rival.

Then in the final round along came 17 year old young gun Canadian Anna Huang who shot a blistering six under front nine to put herself right in contention. Bennett on the other had the birdies but also found a couple of bogeys to make the turn two under for the day and only two ahead of Huang who was playing in the group ahead of Bennett.

Huang was steadier on the back nine with only the solitary birdie and it looked like all Bennett had to do was par in for the win. Golf, however, is never that straightforward and bogeys on 12 and 16 saw Bennett level with Huang and all possibilities were on the table. Unfortunately Bennett bogeyed the final hole to hand Huang a one shot win, her third on the LET.

With the win Huang creeps above Bennett into third spot on the OOM. Bennett consolidates her fourth position on the all important OOM rankings, with the top ten at seasons end getting straight into LPGA Q School final qualifying.

1st Anna Huang - €76,500

2nd Kelsey Bennett - €40,500

T39 Justice Bosio - €2,674

T47 Kirsten Rudgeley - €2,088

MC Steph Bunque

MC Madison Hinson-Tolchard

LETAS

Tournament: Allegria Stegersbach Ladies Open

Dates: 20-22 May

Course: Sudburgenland of the Allegria Golf Resort

Purse: €50,000

Ozzies in the field: Belinda Ji, Kristalle Blum

A Maiden victory for German Hanna Tauber in Austria. Carding three rounds on 69 (-1) Tauber prevailed over Iceland’s Ragga Kristinsdottir by two shots.

Best of the Ozzies was Belinda Ji with a top ten finish, tied for ninth.

1st Hannah Tauber - €8,000

T9 Belinda Ji - €1,150

MC Kristalle Blum

PGA Tour

Tournament: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, TX,

Purse: USD $10.3M

Ozzies in the field: Cam Davis, Karl Vilips

If a winning score of thirty under par floats your boat then this was the tournament for you. Surely the PGA Tour can’t sustain this sort of course set up that lets these players bomb and gauge birdies at will.

In any event Wyndham Clark bored us to death winning by three shots from Si Woo Kim. On a course that gave up a squillion birdies through the week both Ozzies missed the cut.

Korn Ferry Tour

Tournament: Visit Knoxville Open

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, TN

Purse: USD $1.0M

Ozzies in the field: Rhein Gibson

The win by Doc Redman has so many more stories than the PGA Tour event this week. Ryan French from Monday Q summarised it all on his X account acaseofthegolf1 aka Monday Q INFO.

“For the 2nd time in his career a Monday Q has changed Doc Redman’s career. Last season on KFT Doc Redman made just 7 of 15 cuts, finished 138th, and lost his status.

After his KFT season was over and he was likely headed back to first stage of Q-school, Redman went to the Sanderson Monday Q and got thru. Finished T9 that week. Got into Utah and finished T20. Got a spot in the RSM and finished T18. Earned enough non-member points to be exempt to final stage. Finished 34th there and guaranteed himself starts on KFT.

Today he won for the second time this season and will be headed back to the PGA Tour season. It was the second time a Monday Q changed his career. In 2018 Redman was playing the Canadian Tour and went to the Rocket Monday Q, got Thru and finished runner-up that week. He eventually earned PGA Tour status for the next season. Now he’s done it again, all starting with a Monday Q.”

Redman won on the first playoff hole with an eagle to beat Hunter Eichhorn.

1st Doc Redman – USD $180,000

MC Cam Davis

MC Karl Vilips

DP World Tour

Tournament: Soudal Open

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Rinkven International GC, Antwerp, Belgium

Purse: € USD $

Ozzies in the field: Jason Scrivener, David Micheluzzie, Ryan Peake, Anthony Quayle, Connor McKinney, Jack Buchanan, Dan Hillier (NZ), Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

It’s hard to win golf tournaments Zander Lombard version. Lombard went into the final round with a three shot lead over MJ Daffue with the ultimate winner Richard Sterne five shots behind. Lombard was the player who won Q School by 13 shots so knows how to go low and win things. However his 74 on the final day with a finish of four over in his last six holes was tough to watch

Meanwhile Sterne came from the clouds with a closing 66 to win by two shots from Jacob Skov Olesen, Jorge Campillo, Kota Kaneko, Victor Perez, Marcus Armitage & Marcus Kinhult. He still had the lead when he got to the 13th hole but then started his bogey run. Sterne closed with birdie on 16 and eagle on 17 for a closing 66 and the win.

Bes of the Ozzies was Jack Buchanan at T24 which is his best finish for the season since the Australian Open.

1st Richard Sterne - €402,686

T24 Jack Buchanan -€23,568

T30 Jason Scrivener - €17,744

MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

MC David Micheluzzie

MC Anthony Quayle

MC Daniel Hillier (NZ)

MC Ryan Peake

MC Connor McKinney

Hotel Planner Tour.

Tournament: Danish Golf Challenge

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Odense Eventyr Golf, Odense, Denmark

Purse: €300,000

Ozzies in the field: Dimitrios Papadatos, Daniel Gale, Quinnton Croker, Hayden Hopewell, Sam Jones (NZ)

Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen had a closing three over 75 but had enough lead wo still make the playoff which he then won by draining a 30 foot birdie put on the first sudden death hole. The win was set up by a pair of 63’s on Friday and Saturday which gave the Fin a three shot lead heading into the final day. His playing partner Max Giboudot could only manage a three under 70 and the pair headed to the playoff.

Best of the Ozzies was Haydn Barron at T8.

Tapio Pulkkanen - €48,000

T8 Haydn Barron - €7,050

T56 Sam Jones (NZ) - €1,005

MC Daniel Gale

MC Quinnton Croker

MC Hayden Hopewell

MC Dimi Papadatos

Asian Tour

Tournament: Kolon The 68th KOREA Open Golf Championship

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Woo Jeong Hills Country Club

Purse: KRW1,4000,000

Ozzies in the field: Cameron John,Kevin Yuan, Jed Morgan, Junseok Lee, Jack Thompson, Maverick Antcliff, Channi Lee (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ), Danzel Ieremia, Sungjin Lee (NZ)

Jiho Yang has become the first qualifier to win the Korea Open. Despite a closing five over 76 Yang cruised to a four shot win after setting up the victory with opening rounds of 65, 67 & 67. Sweden’s Charlie Lindh finished second. Yang also get a start in The Open courtesy of The Open Series.

Best of the Ozzies was Jack Thompson tied for 31st.

1st Jiho Yang – KRW3522,609

T31 Jack Thompson – 5,973

T34 Maverick Antcliff – 5,409

T34 Jed Morgan - 5,409

T51 Changgi Lee (NZ) – 3,787

MC Sungjiin Yeo (NZ)

MC Danny Lee (NZ)

MC Cameron John

MC Kevin Yuan

MC Denzel Ieremia

MC Junseok Lee

Japan Tour

Tournament: Japan PGA Championship Senko Group Cup

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Gamo Golf Club

Purse: Y150,000,000

Ozzies in the field: Michael Hendry (NZ)

Yusaku Hosono won the Japan PGA Championship by ** shots from Hirok8 Tanaka.

1st Yusaku Hosono – Y30,000,000

MC Michael Hendry (NZ)

JLPGA

Tournament: Bridgestone Ladies Open

Dates: 21-24 May

Course: Sodegaura CC Sodegaura, Chiba

Purse: Y100,000,000

Ozzies in the field: Lion Higo

Hibiki Iriya won a shortened event winning by one shot over Rin Yoshida.

1st Hibiki Iriya – Y13,500,000

MC Lion Higo

KLPGA

Tournament: 14th E1 Charity Open

Dates: 22-24 May

Course: Rerum, east west

Purse: KRW1,000,000,000

Ozzies in the field: Claire Shin

1st Jaravee Boonchant

MC Claire Shin