Latest news with #WPGATourofAustralasia
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Minjee Lee head-hunted for Australian Open appearance
Golf powerbrokers are hopeful humble superstar Minjee Lee will headline the field when the Australian Open returns to South Australian fairways in 2026. After ditching the contentious dual-gender format for next year's national championships, Golf Australia on Friday announced that Kooyonga Golf Club would host the Australian Open women's event in Adelaide from March 12-15. Co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Ladies European Tour, the Open is returning to the Festival State for the first time since 2020. No Australian has won the title since the great Karrie Webb claimed the trophy for a fifth time in 2014. WPGA Tour boss Karen Lunn says Lee, the newly crowned Women's PGA Championship winner, and Australia's other LPGA Tour stars such as Hannah Green, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou are on the organisers' hit list to lure to Adelaide. "We hope that we'll have all of our Australian stars at this event," Lunn said. "They're dying to get their hands on the Patricia Bridges Bowl, which our great Karrie Webb has won five times." Despite boasting four top-five finishes from 11 starts, the closest Lee has come to claiming her national championship was in 2023, when the now-triple major winner finished runner-up at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. In tipping his hat to the 29-year-old for her latest triumph on Sunday in Texas, Golf Australia chief James Sutherland said Lee was obviously on the Adelaide tournament organisers' radar. "It's not every week that an Australian golfer wins a major championship," Sutherland said. "She may be the most under-rated champion athlete that we have in Australia. "She's certainly understated in her own way - a proud Australian, but someone that is a champion on the biggest stage. "She's one of only four Australians now - male or female - that have won more than two major events, and she's on the verge of her own career grand slam. "So congratulations Minjee, and we're certainly very hopeful, like the (SA) premier, that Minjee will be here in March next year." Lee's PGA Championship victory propelled her above Perth stablemate Green back to Australian No.1 and sixth in the world rankings. The 11th-ranked Green and Kim were the top finishers at last year's Australian Open at the co-hosting Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs in Melbourne, sharing fourth spot behind South Korean winner Jiyai Shin. The shift from early December back to its traditional March time-slot means there will be no women's Australian Open contested in 2025. But it is hoped the move away from a clash with Thanksgiving Day in the US will help lure the world's best players back to Australia and restore the Open's status as one of international golf's biggest tournaments. Golf powerbrokers are hopeful humble superstar Minjee Lee will headline the field when the Australian Open returns to South Australian fairways in 2026. After ditching the contentious dual-gender format for next year's national championships, Golf Australia on Friday announced that Kooyonga Golf Club would host the Australian Open women's event in Adelaide from March 12-15. Co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Ladies European Tour, the Open is returning to the Festival State for the first time since 2020. No Australian has won the title since the great Karrie Webb claimed the trophy for a fifth time in 2014. WPGA Tour boss Karen Lunn says Lee, the newly crowned Women's PGA Championship winner, and Australia's other LPGA Tour stars such as Hannah Green, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou are on the organisers' hit list to lure to Adelaide. "We hope that we'll have all of our Australian stars at this event," Lunn said. "They're dying to get their hands on the Patricia Bridges Bowl, which our great Karrie Webb has won five times." Despite boasting four top-five finishes from 11 starts, the closest Lee has come to claiming her national championship was in 2023, when the now-triple major winner finished runner-up at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. In tipping his hat to the 29-year-old for her latest triumph on Sunday in Texas, Golf Australia chief James Sutherland said Lee was obviously on the Adelaide tournament organisers' radar. "It's not every week that an Australian golfer wins a major championship," Sutherland said. "She may be the most under-rated champion athlete that we have in Australia. "She's certainly understated in her own way - a proud Australian, but someone that is a champion on the biggest stage. "She's one of only four Australians now - male or female - that have won more than two major events, and she's on the verge of her own career grand slam. "So congratulations Minjee, and we're certainly very hopeful, like the (SA) premier, that Minjee will be here in March next year." Lee's PGA Championship victory propelled her above Perth stablemate Green back to Australian No.1 and sixth in the world rankings. The 11th-ranked Green and Kim were the top finishers at last year's Australian Open at the co-hosting Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs in Melbourne, sharing fourth spot behind South Korean winner Jiyai Shin. The shift from early December back to its traditional March time-slot means there will be no women's Australian Open contested in 2025. But it is hoped the move away from a clash with Thanksgiving Day in the US will help lure the world's best players back to Australia and restore the Open's status as one of international golf's biggest tournaments. Golf powerbrokers are hopeful humble superstar Minjee Lee will headline the field when the Australian Open returns to South Australian fairways in 2026. After ditching the contentious dual-gender format for next year's national championships, Golf Australia on Friday announced that Kooyonga Golf Club would host the Australian Open women's event in Adelaide from March 12-15. Co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Ladies European Tour, the Open is returning to the Festival State for the first time since 2020. No Australian has won the title since the great Karrie Webb claimed the trophy for a fifth time in 2014. WPGA Tour boss Karen Lunn says Lee, the newly crowned Women's PGA Championship winner, and Australia's other LPGA Tour stars such as Hannah Green, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou are on the organisers' hit list to lure to Adelaide. "We hope that we'll have all of our Australian stars at this event," Lunn said. "They're dying to get their hands on the Patricia Bridges Bowl, which our great Karrie Webb has won five times." Despite boasting four top-five finishes from 11 starts, the closest Lee has come to claiming her national championship was in 2023, when the now-triple major winner finished runner-up at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. In tipping his hat to the 29-year-old for her latest triumph on Sunday in Texas, Golf Australia chief James Sutherland said Lee was obviously on the Adelaide tournament organisers' radar. "It's not every week that an Australian golfer wins a major championship," Sutherland said. "She may be the most under-rated champion athlete that we have in Australia. "She's certainly understated in her own way - a proud Australian, but someone that is a champion on the biggest stage. "She's one of only four Australians now - male or female - that have won more than two major events, and she's on the verge of her own career grand slam. "So congratulations Minjee, and we're certainly very hopeful, like the (SA) premier, that Minjee will be here in March next year." Lee's PGA Championship victory propelled her above Perth stablemate Green back to Australian No.1 and sixth in the world rankings. The 11th-ranked Green and Kim were the top finishers at last year's Australian Open at the co-hosting Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs in Melbourne, sharing fourth spot behind South Korean winner Jiyai Shin. The shift from early December back to its traditional March time-slot means there will be no women's Australian Open contested in 2025. But it is hoped the move away from a clash with Thanksgiving Day in the US will help lure the world's best players back to Australia and restore the Open's status as one of international golf's biggest tournaments.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Minjee Lee head-hunted for Australian Open appearance
Golf powerbrokers are hopeful humble superstar Minjee Lee will headline the field when the Australian Open returns to South Australian fairways in 2026. After ditching the contentious dual-gender format for next year's national championships, Golf Australia on Friday announced that Kooyonga Golf Club would host the Australian Open women's event in Adelaide from March 12-15. Co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Ladies European Tour, the Open is returning to the Festival State for the first time since 2020. No Australian has won the title since the great Karrie Webb claimed the trophy for a fifth time in 2014. WPGA Tour boss Karen Lunn says Lee, the newly crowned Women's PGA Championship winner, and Australia's other LPGA Tour stars such as Hannah Green, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou are on the organisers' hit list to lure to Adelaide. "We hope that we'll have all of our Australian stars at this event," Lunn said. "They're dying to get their hands on the Patricia Bridges Bowl, which our great Karrie Webb has won five times." Despite boasting four top-five finishes from 11 starts, the closest Lee has come to claiming her national championship was in 2023, when the now-triple major winner finished runner-up at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. In tipping his hat to the 29-year-old for her latest triumph on Sunday in Texas, Golf Australia chief James Sutherland said Lee was obviously on the Adelaide tournament organisers' radar. "It's not every week that an Australian golfer wins a major championship," Sutherland said. "She may be the most under-rated champion athlete that we have in Australia. "She's certainly understated in her own way - a proud Australian, but someone that is a champion on the biggest stage. "She's one of only four Australians now - male or female - that have won more than two major events, and she's on the verge of her own career grand slam. "So congratulations Minjee, and we're certainly very hopeful, like the (SA) premier, that Minjee will be here in March next year." Lee's PGA Championship victory propelled her above Perth stablemate Green back to Australian No.1 and sixth in the world rankings. The 11th-ranked Green and Kim were the top finishers at last year's Australian Open at the co-hosting Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs in Melbourne, sharing fourth spot behind South Korean winner Jiyai Shin. The shift from early December back to its traditional March time-slot means there will be no women's Australian Open contested in 2025. But it is hoped the move away from a clash with Thanksgiving Day in the US will help lure the world's best players back to Australia and restore the Open's status as one of international golf's biggest tournaments.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Belgian golfer de Roey salutes in Aust Women's Classic
Belgian Manon de Roey has held her nerve in a war of attrition to claim her second WPGA Tour of Australasia title at the Australian Women's Classic at Coffs Harbour. Five years after her win at the Moss Vale Pro-Am, de Roey's round of one-under 69 and nine-under total was enough to clinch victory by a stroke from England's Cara Gainer (68). Teenaged Thai phenomenon Cholcheva Wongras (70) snared third with Sarah Kemp (74) the leading Australian in a tie for fourth. De Roey, 33, clinched the title on the final hole when she hit a gap wedge to eight feet and drained the birdie putt. Clutch finish! Manon De Roey birdies 18 to clinch her third LET victory 🏆#AusWomensClassic — Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) March 16, 2025 "I like to look at the leaderboards. I want to know what I have to do," she said. "I asked on 15 what the leaderboard was and then on 18 before my putt I also checked. "It was downhill, down-grain so I wanted to know that I had to just tap it there or make it." Trailing Kemp (75) by two strokes at the start of the final round, de Roey bounced back from two early bogeys to play the steadiest hand down the stretch. Kemp's tie for fourth was beyond her wildest expectations given the compound fracture she suffered to her right leg just seven months ago. Sarah Kemp you are a champion! 💪What a week for the Aussie 👏👏 — WPGA Tour of Australasia (@WPGATour) March 16, 2025 "Honestly, the goal was just to see if I could make the cut so it's exceeded all of my non-expectations," said the Australian, who will back up for next week's Women's NSW Open at Wollongong Golf Club. "I'd already won this week. I was able to finish the tournament and I proved clearly I can still play golf and that's the two main objectives. "It makes me feel really good now going back into the States." Australian LPGA Tour star Grace Kim finished strongly with a 67 to claim a share of sixth spot.
