Weekly Wrap - Week 48

WEEK 48– WEKLY WRAP

LET

Tournament: Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana

Dates: 27 November – 30 November

Course: Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf, Malaga, Spain

Purse:€700,000

Ozzies in the field: Kelsey Bennet, Kirsten Rudgeley, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Sarah Kemp, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Momoka Kobori (NZ),

After an excellent second round 65 Natasia Nadaud closed out the weekend with 69 and 66 to win by four shots over Ozzie Kirsten Rudgeley with fellow Ozzie Kelsey Bennett a further shot back in a tie for third place.

Overnight leader Trichat Cheenglab had a miserable closing 77 but it was Nadaud who was five under through her first five holes and stormed to the lead and never surrendered it. Rudgeley threatened to challenge for her first win on tour but the putter didn’t cooperate and she narrowly missed several makeable birdie chances on the back nine.

Bennett equalled her best round of her season in a closing 66 to see her finish T3. A three putt at the par three 17th led to her only bogey of the day. It’s rounds like this that have been missing from Bennett’s season. If she can repeat this form next season it will hopefully elevate her into the winner’s circle where she belongs.

Bennet finishes as the top Ozzie in the final rankings at number 20. Rudgeley is one spot back at no 21 and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard finished 32nd. Sarah Kemp was no doubt trying to push her way into the top 70 but a T47 finish was not enough and she ends up 75th on the OOM.

There were lots of other intrigues on the final day. Shannon Tan and Mimi Rhodes were battling it out for top honours in the OOM. They mirrored each other’s scores on the first three days however Tan faltered slightly on Sunday with a one over 73. With Tan falling off the pace Rhodes needed to finish solo second to claim the OOM title and was looking likely with second place Perrine Delacour crashing to a one over 73 finish. Rhodes was -4 through her first12 holes and looking to challenge for that top OOM spot. However two late bogeys halted her run at the title and she has to be content with a great season – three wins and second on the OOM.

There were also other mini battles to see who would finish in the top 10 and 15 of the OOM. Top 10 get exemption into final stage of LPGA Q School starting 4 December and top 15 gain entry to next years AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Of the top 10 it looks like Helen Briem, Natasha Nadaud, Chiara Tamburlini and Mim Rhodes are making the dash across the Atlantic from Spain to Alabama to start Q School this Thursday.

Kirsten Rudgeley 2nd - €63,000

Kelsey Bennett T3 - 30,100

Maddison Hinson-Tolchard T20 – 10,803

Sarah Kemp T47 – 3,262

Momoka Kobori T62 – 2,275

AUS PGA Tour and DP World Tour

Tournament: BMW Australian PGA Championship

Dates: 27 November – 30 November

Course: Royal Queensland Golf Club

Purse:AUD $2.5M

Sunday started off with 14 players within three shots of the lead but after four holes Spaniard David Puig had made three birdies and started to stamp his name on the tournament.

Throughout the day there were mini challenges from the likes of Wenyi Ding and Nick Vok but no one ever really challenged Puig after his scintillating start.

Unfortunately Ozzie Anthony Quayle couldn’t recover from two double bogeys on his first five holes. Whilst he steadied with two birdies on the back nine, he finished the day with a 74 and T10.

So no one could sustain a charge at Puig in the final round and he takes away the Joe Kirkwood Cup. Puig has declared his intention to play the DP World Tour as well as his LIV commitments, so with this win and the exemptions it carries.It will be interesting to see how many DP World Tour events he plays for the rest of the season.

And now we move onto the main course. The Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. This is surely the best field assembled for this tournament in decades. The fans are salivating to watch world number 2 and fan favourite no 1, Rory McIlroy tee it up next week.

WPGA

Tournament: Women’s NSW Open Regional Qualifier

Dates: 27 November – 28 November

Course: Dubbo Golf Club

Purse:AUD $50,000

Young gun Hannah Reeves has won her third Women’s NSW Open qualifying tournament. Playing at Dubbo Golf Course Reeve carded rounds of 67 and 73 to finish at -4 tied with Justice Bosio. Reeve had a put on the last hole of regulation play to seal the win but it slipped passed the cup and she finished tied with her playing partner. The two Queenslanders then headed back down the par three 18th to decide the title.

Reeves was able to get up and down from the back of the green for par but Bosio could not equal her after finding the front bunker.

The result gives Reeve her third professional victory after winning the first pro tournament she ever entered in Mollymook and following that up with a win in Wagga Wagga. Having already secured her spot in the NSW Open the qualifying spots went to Bosio and third paced Danni Vasqueth-Boyd. The WPGA moves to Narrabri for another NSW Open qualifier on 1 & 2 December.

Hannah Reeve 1 – AUD$7,500

Justice Bosio – 2 - $5,000

Danni Vasqueth-Boyd - $3,750

Legends Tour

Tournament: Vattanac Legends Championship Legacy Edition 2025

Dates: 26 November – 28 November

Course: Vattanac Golf Resort – West Course

Purse:€

Ozzies in the field: Michale Campbell (NZ), Scott Hend, Mark Brown (NZ), Stephen Leaney, Michael Long (NZ)

South African Darren Fichardt birdied three of his last four holes to win by one over Ozzie Scott Hend who finished with a disappointing three putt bogey on the 18th to hand the title to Fichardt. The win was Fichardt’s first on the Legends Tour.

With only one event left on the Legends Tour the second place for Hend wraps up his win on the OOM for 2025. Hend has had a magnificent year with two wins, two runner ups and four top tens.

Scott Hend 2nd

Mark Brown (NZ) T6

Stephen Leaney T20

Michael Campbell (NZ) T54

Michael Long (NZ) T54