Weekly Wrap - Week 41 OZZIE WINNER ALERT

Sunshine Tour

Tournament: The Fortress Invitational

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: Houghton Golf Club

Purse: R500,000

Ozzies in the field: Austin Batista

OZZIE WINNER ALERT

Austin Bautista has won his second title on the Sunshine Tour this season. The super confident Ozzie blitzed the field winning by five shots from Warwick Purchase. The win consolidates Bautista’s 2nd position on the OOM and reduced the margin to first placed player Samuel Simpson to 95 points.

LET

Tournament: Aramco Korea Championship

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: New Korea Country Club

Purse:USD $2.0M

Ozzies in the field: Kelsey Bennett, Justice Bosio, Steph Bunque, Sarah Kemp, Momoka Kobori (NZ)

It was one of the big names from Asian golf that ran away with the victory this week. Japan’s Miyu Yamashita shot a course record equalling 63 on the final day to win by three shots from Sara Kouskova. (who also shot 63 on the final day).

For the Ozzies, the story was Steph Bunque. She started the week at no.84 on the OOM and realistically only has this tournament and the next to get into the top 70 which would secure her card for next year. After these two tournaments the next two are limited field for LET members as they offer approximately 40 spots to their national players. Bunque’s only avenue into the Wistron Ladies Open would be to repeat her to ten finish at the Hero Indian Women’s Open this week. So not only does she have to get into the top 70 she has to stay there through two tournaments she cannot play.

Image courtesy of LET

This week Steph Bunque delivered. After making the cut she had rounds of 66-66 to finish in a tie for fifth, her best ever finish on the LET and her biggest cheque. This moved her to no 61 on the OOM. This was a fantastic performance under the pressure of having her season on the line.

Sarah Kemp was in a similar position and for the first three days looked like having a great tournament. Unfortunately, she could only manage a closing round of +1 73 to finish in a tie for nineteenth position. Kemp moved from 74 on the OOM to 67. Whitney Hillier finished 56th but slipped to just outside the top 70 to number 71.

Steph Bunque and Whitney Hillier are entered this week for the Indian Open. They need to maintain or improve their current positions on the OOM and then cross fingers and toes that is good enough while they sit out through the last two regular season tournaments.

1st Miyu Yamashita - €267,900

T5 – Steph Bunque - €58,893

T19 Sarah Kemp – €24,590

T41 Kelsey Bennett, Momoka Kobori (NZ) - €10,698

56th Whitney Hillier - €6,340

MC Justice Bosio

LETAS

Tournament: Terre Blanche Ladies Open

Dates: 8-10 October

Course: Golf de Terre Blanche

Purse: €45,000

Ozzies in the field: Kristalle Blum, Hannah Reeves, Belinda Ji.

It is hard to win golf tournaments – Lorna McClymont edition. Playing in the last group the Scotswoman had a two shot lead standing on the final hole. A win would have put her in reach of the top seven on the OOM and given her a chance to fight for promotion to the LET. Instead she proceeded to card a quadruple bogey nine and slip back to a tie for third position.

The winner was Theresa De Bochdanovits who was playing with Belinda Ji in the 4th last group. De Bochdanovits posted a score of -9 and waited for the field to come in. As she watched McClymont crumble up the last the victory became hers.

The best of the Ozzies was Belinda Ji who had an outstanding week to finish outright second. No luck for Hannah Reeves who finished T35th and actually slipped down two places in the OOM to 12th.

1st Theresa De Bochdanovits - €7,200

2nd Belinda Ji - €4,770

T24 Kristalle Blum - €664

PGA Tour of Australasia

Tournament: CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: Kalgoorlie Golf Course

Purse: AUD $250,000

Ozzies in the field: Heaps

After seven years Justin Warren is a winner on the Ozzie Tour. He had a really solid closing round of -5 to run out a two shot winner over Daniel Gale. Jasper Stubbs, Curtis Luck and Austin Green were a further two shots back in a tie for third.

PGA Tour

Tournament: Baycurrent Classic

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: Yokohama Country Club, Yokohama, Japan

Purse: USD $8.0M

Ozzies in the field: Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott

Michael Brennan outgunned another young gun, Jacob Bridgeman, and tour veteran Keith Mitchell to get the win. Mitchell was playing in the penultimate group and missed a very short putt for birdie on the last hole which would have put him in a playoff with Brennan. The win was Brennan’s third PGA tour victory in just 33 starts.

Best of the Ozzies was Min Woo Lee who finished in a tie for ninth position. Adam Scott started the final round in second place but had a disappointing day shooting +1 72.

1st Michael Brennan – USD $1.4M

T0 Min Woo Lee - $208,000

T13 Adam Scott - $150,000

Korn Ferry Tour

Tournament: Korn Ferry Tour Championship

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: The Federal Club, Glen Allen

Purse: USD $1.5M

Ozzies in the field: NIL

Dreams came true and dreams were shattered. Thus is the way of the final day of the Korn Ferry Tour when the top 20 on the points list get presented with their PGA Tour cards. For two players, Ben Kohles and Cole Hammer and it was a day to forget as they slipped out of the top twenty and instead of playing on the PGA Tour next year, they are back for more Korn Ferry.

The winner of the tournament was Austin Hitt who jumped from 22nd to sixth and is TourBound. The other big winner was David Lamb who started the week at 23rd and snuck into the last qualifying position to claim his PGA Tour card.

Ross Steelman finished first in the points list and earns starts at the 2027 Players and US Open. Of the 20 ‘graduates’, 17 will be PGA Tour rookies.

1st Austin Hitt – USD $270,000

PGA Champions Tour

Tournament: Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS

Dates: 9-11 October

Course: Ocean Course at Hammock Beach

Purse: USD $2.2M

Ozzies in the field: Steve Allan, Steve Alker (NZ), Stuart Appleby, Greg Chalmers, Matthew Goggin, Richard Green, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Michael Wright

No Ozzie victory but Matthew Goggin gave us something to cheer about with his second round 63 which had him leading into the final round. Alas the Tasmanian could only muster a Sunday 73 (+1) and finished T4.

The eventual winner as Vaughan Taylor who prevailed over Alex Cejka on the first sudden death playoff after both finished at -17. Best of the Ozzies was Michael Wright in outright third.

1st Vaughan Taylor – USD $330,000

3rd Michael Wright - $158,400

T$ Matthew Goggin, Rod Pampling - $95,040

T13 Scott Hend - $39,600

T18 Richard Green - $31,020

T25 Greg Chalmers, Steve Alker, - $18,756

T44 Stuart Appleby - $8,800

T70 Steve Allen - $1,936

WD Mark Hensby

DP World Tour

Tournament: Open de Espana presented by Madrid

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Purse: USD $3.75M

Ozzies in the field: Jason Scrivener, David Micheluzzie, Dan Hillier (NZ), Kazuma Kobori (NZ), Elvis Smylie

Playing in the last group Scotsman Grant Forest birdied the final hole to clinch a one shot victory over playing partner Victor Perez and Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra.

As well as the win and the two ear exemption that comes with that Forest also gets entry to The Masters through the Open Qualifying Series.

Best of the Australasians was Kiwi Dan Hillier at T26 followed by Jason Scrivener who finished in a tie for 55th. Scrivener sits at 112 on the OOM and needs a good couple of weeks to climb back into the top 100 to keep his full playing rights for next season.

1st Grant Forest - €567,564

T55 Jason Scrivener - €10,015

Mc Elvis Smylie, David Micheluzzi, Kazuma Kobori

Hotel Planner Tour

Tournament: Hainan Open

Dates: 8-11 October

Course: Sanya Luhuitou GC, Donghai Bay, Sany, Hainan Island, China

Purse: USD $500,000

Ozzies in the field: Kuangyu Chen

Lars Van der Vight secured his second HotelPlanner victory with a two shot margin at the Hainan Open.

1st Lars Van der Vight - €72,223

MC Kuangyu Chen