March 3, 2005 – Six titles in one month over four tours, not to mention three players in the final eight of the Accenture World Matchplay and the emergence of the likes of Steven Bowditch and Jarrod Lyle, has topped off what has been a sensational month for Australasian golf.
Craig Parry won the European co-sanctioned Heineken Classic, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy both won on the US PGA Tour, Scott Strange took out his first Asian Tour victory, both Peter O'Malley and young sensation Steven Bowditch won Nationwide Tour co-sanctioned events and a record ten Australians represented at the World Championship of Golf Accenture Match Play Championship.
The month began when Craig Parry won a thrilling play off against fellow Australian Nick O'Hern at the Heineken Classic in Melbourne. Ending the reign of three time winner Ernie Els, Parry prevailed over O'Hern in a dramatic play off, holing a birdie on the 4th extra hole to take the European co-sanctioned event and leaping from number 65 to number 38 in the world. O'Hern, who underwent knee surgery last December, moved up to a career-high 30th after his efforts at the Heineken, which also produced another Aussie hero, Shepparton born Jarrod Lyle.
Lyle, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1999 and spent nine months in hospital undergoing extensive treatment, fast became a crowd favourite at the event in Royal Melbourne. Lyle's enjoyment of the event and gutsy determination was a hit with the sporting community and his finish tied for third with Englishman Simon Doyle was as well documented as the exciting playoff finish between O'Hern and Parry.
At the co-sanctioned Nationwide/Australasian Jacob's Creek Open Championship, Queenslander Steven Bowditch continued a memorable Australian summer with a convincing five-shot victory at the Royal Adelaide course. Having finished third at the 2004 Hillross Australian Open and 4th at the MasterCard Masters, the big hitting Bowditch continued his hot form, leading the field from day one, outplaying America's finest on the Nationwide Tour. He finished on 11-under with a final round of 71, seeing him finish well clear of American Ryan Armour and Australian Nathan Green at minus six. Bowditch collected $180,000 for the win, taking him to the top of the Money List on the Nationwide Tour and earned himself a two year exemption on both the Nationwide and Australasian Tours.
As Bowditch was still tasting the spoils of victory in Adelaide, Queensland's Adam Scott was on his way to winning his third US PGA title at the rain affected Nissan Open. Scott, who won two events last year, including the The Players Championship and the Booz Allen Classic tapped in a three foot putt for par, beating American Chad Campbell in a sudden-death playoff.
Just days later, an impressive number of ten Australians lined up as part of the world's best to take part in the first of the four World Golf Championship events, the Accenture World Matchplay Championship, at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. With the criteria to compete including the top 64 players in the Official World Rankings, the Australasian Tour supplied the second biggest contingent behind the United States.
The Australian field was Stuart Appleby (10), Adam Scott (11), Peter Lonard (29), Nick O'Hern (31), Craig Parry (37), Robert Allenby (44), Mark Hensby (46), Richard Green (51) Rod Pampling (52) and Stephen Leaney (61). Nick O'Hern, Adam Scott and Robert Allenby performed well, making it through to the final eight, with the highlight no doubt being Nick O'Hern's victory in the second round over defending champion Tiger Woods. All three were eliminated in the quarter-finals, with American David Toms going on to win the event.
As the Match Play event was wrapping up in California, Australians Peter O'Malley and Steven Bowditch were battling it out in a thrilling finish to the Nationwide/Australasian Tour ING NZ PGA Championship in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Bathurst born O'Malley, who won the Clearwater Classic at the same venue in 2002, could have sealed victory in the regulation 72 holes, but missed a par putt of barely 40 centimeters at the last which would have seen him home with a 68 for 15-under. Instead, he had to return to the 18th to take on the previous weeks Jacob's Creek Open winner Steven Bowditch, who came from five shots back overnight to blitz the final round with a course-record-equaling nine under 63, forcing the playoff.
Both players parred the first three playoff holes before O'Malley raised his club in the air after a birdie putt of around seven or eight meters sailed in on the 4th hole, giving him the 2005 title.
As O'Malley was lifting the trophy in Christchurch, Australian Scott Strange was on his way to claiming his maiden Asian PGA Tour title, winning the Myanmar Open by two strokes in Yangon. The 27-year-old West Australian pulled off a stunning two-shot victory to dash local favorite Thongchai Jaidee's hopes of back-to-back titles.
Strange, playing in his third year on the Asian Tour, fired a final round of five-under-par 67 to lift his maiden Asian Tour title with a winning total of 11-under-par 277. Ironically it was at Yangon two years ago that Strange made his Asian Tour debut. Strange earned US$32,300 and a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
Topping off an outstanding month for Australasians was Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who claimed his maiden professional title, winning a three-way playoff to become the Chrysler Classic of Tucson champion on the US PGA Tour.
Ogilvy became the third Australian winner on the US PGA Tour this year with Stuart Appleby and Adam Scott, succeeding in a three-way playoff over Mark Calcavecchia and Kevin Na.
Ogilvy, who had four top-10 finishes last season, won for the first time in 108 PGA Tour events. He has had several close finishes in the United States in the past few years including ties for second, third and fifth in 2003 and another fifth placing last year, but this time he wasn't letting the title go.
Forced to contest the sudden death playoff, after at one stage holding the outright lead half way through the final round, Ogilvy watched as Mark Calcavecchia was knocked out with a double bogey at the 18th before he landed an 18 foot putt to grab victory at the 10th after Na missed his attempt from eight feet.
Ogilvy took home US$540,000 and the feeling of victory after seven years on the world golfing stage as a professional. The win may also see him get a start in the US Masters at Augusta in April as his world ranking has climbed from 83 to 60. The top 50 after next months Players Championship are exempt for Augusta and Ogilvy has three more starts to improve his position.
This week sees the resumption of the Von Nida Tour in Australia, with the National Australia Bank Victorian PGA Championship to be held at Sanctuary Lakes Resort in Victoria. The European Tour moves to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Desert Classic whilst the US PGA Tour returns to the scene of Craig Parry's 2004 victory when he scored a miraculous eagle from the fairway on the first playoff hole to beat Scott Verplank and win the Ford Championship at Doral in one of the most exciting finishes in PGA Tour history.
Source: PGA Tour
