2025 Australian PGA Championship Round 1 Highlights | Wide World of Sports

2025 Australian PGA Championship Round 1 Highlights | Wide World of Sports

Let’s have a look at the morning highlights. There were plenty of them. The great news is that all of the Australian guns that were out early are in the mix. Min Woo Lee, a long birdie chance here on 11 straight in the middle. It’s an excellent start for Min Woo and three-time champion of this event, Cameron Smith. He teed off the 10th, so this was a front nine for them. Third into the par five and not unexpected, a wonderful touch. Some beautiful golf as a mentioned from Adam Scott out there today including this at the 18th hole and poured that one in. Started with a bogey but fought back on his first nine, the back nine. Minw four birdies on that back nine. And there’s one of them. He was certainly on with a putter. And the man a lot of people have come to see, myself included, Marco Penge. This was his ninth hole of the day. Couple over for his round. Bit of a slow start. Has had some neck issues the last few days, but he just manages to get that one full head getting into his second nine. And around Royal Queensland, the path threes are a real feature. Here’s Elvis Smiley on the first of the front nine, his second nine. They’re playing the course the other way round. And this was pretty to a flag tucked over right by the bunker today. And he’d roll that in for a birdie, too. Another one of the draw cards from across the tasine. Ryan Fox, a dual winner on the USPGA Tour in 2025 in tremendous form. Probably the best form of his career, making birdie there on five. Madam Scott turned him one under par. Birdie on his 10th hole. And then this his approach out of the sand on seven. He’s still got that magic, the man from Queensland. He would roll that in for a birdie. Speaking of Queensland and Australian golf is Cameron Smith for how his day ended up at the ninth. Just enough to cover that front edge. And a round of 68. I believe it says it’s a 69. Our scoring system says 68. We’ll keep you up to date with that. Either way, he’s in the top 10. So, they were off bright and early. That group consisting of Smith, Minw Lee, and Marco Pen. And the galleries certainly got their money’s worth. Great to see Jeffrey Guam back on tour. Certainly is. I’m sure most people know his story where he Oh, almost almost slammed up there, Matt. But back in 2019, grazes the edge. Good start. Defeated John Ram in a playoff in Live Golf in Indianapolis this year. Now walk in Neman after taking it up the right side. Perfect angle. This is a perfect angle. Only 102 here to this pin. It is tight in the left hand side and that’s fantastic. Wow. He dialed in on the last hole and he’s just dialed in again. Five time winner on the live tour this year. Oh, beautiful t-shots at one and two for leash. And this is another one of three. This is out there as well. He sent this. It looks relaxed and swinging it nicely. Mark Leeman. Good looking swing. Starting on a good line. Oh, it’s a stunner. He always looks so nonchalant about his golf, you know, kind of old school player in the best kind of way. Mark Leashman works there. Yeah, I know they all loved him over in Western Australia when he played at my home course, Mount Lley. Mitchell Smith, the man we just talked about. Second shot into six. Ps on the front left today trying to draw it in. Oh, that was special. 6 8 ft of green going downwind. And that is when you get try to get too cute. It runs away when you get past this this pin. So that would have been on his mind also. Back to five. Yeah, Neman walked out of that bunker with a rise smile on his face knowing what he’d done wrong here. He’s an aggressive putter. Oh, special. That’s why he’s won five times. Hillia out with the driver. This can be almost reachable downwind, but a bit more out the right today. He’s getting aggressive. Interesting play, Nick. There’s water down the right. 253 to carry the one on the left. And if you’re driving it well, you just hit driver. Now the third member in this group, Daniel Hillier. It’s a big drive today, Paul. Massive drive, Nick. He does. He does go at it hard for a small guy. 77 m. And when you do look at it, when you get down here, if you’re confident in your driver and you can take on that left hand bunker, it’s not actually a bad play. This one really good angle here. The flag is actually not moving. This ball coming in a lot lower. just gets the nudge it needs up over that front edge. Nicely done from Hilly. I tell you what, Nick, that’s kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it? From Paul G. Aine here for eight from 160. Dangerous flag. This is a great looking shot. Yeah, beautifully done. So, being good in that category, you’ll be close towards the top of the leaderboard. That’s also just missing. He’ll tap that in to make his part. Very challenging Hillier now for his birdie to double his total gets to two under. Peterson out with the putter, which is a very common play around these Royal Queensland greens. He’s judged that beautifully. Keep going. Almost to perfection from Victoria. Oh, what a glorious shot for Brogie on the previous hole. Love to get that straight back. And he does. How you bounce back in this game. Now here’s Wen Neman. His approach shot to the par five seventh. Only 70 m. That’s what happens when you’ve got a good wedge game for birdie. Daniel Hillier. Bingo. Yes. the playing captain, Matias Sanchez. Seen quite a bit of him throughout the summer on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. And he rolls that one in confidently. And have a look at that for a scorecard. That’s five birdies in his last six holes. DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. This one coming out low heading to the right a little bit. Oh, just caught the bunker. Quite an easy shot. These guys practice this a lot. Expect this somewhere inside the 3 ft range. You can fly this all the way to the pin. He’s opted for the chunk and run. And it’s running all the way. So that I suppose to a degree makes up for the three putt bogey on eight. Goes into the grain first which will be slow and then straight down rain from that point. We’ll turn right to left from now. Oh, that’s pretty good. Superbly done. Makes it three for three birdies on the par five night for this group. Unleashment out with the driver. And I like this play. He can get there. 233 to the front. This one cutting just a little bit right but it’s a good miss. Yeah. Yeah. If you are going to miss this green, go well to the right and oh just collected a little just got better. Little love tap. Great touch from Mark Leeman. Talked about his short game is pretty much what he works on the most in the days leading into a tournament. And Leeman can convert. Get back into red figures and a big smile. Not easier here at 168. This pin back way to the right. He’s got to air it on the left if he possibly can. Oh, I can’t tell you how good a shot that is. He had nothing. I think he pushed it actually. Only 3wood here. 271 to the front. You’ve got to be game. You got to take it up the right and draw it back. And Neman has struck that extremely well. I think he’s found his groove. That’s a pretty good shot right there. That was off a tight light. That’s where everybody walks off. Very well done there by the Chilean. Pretty good. I think that was just absolutely outstanding from there. He’s a hard marker. Paul Gal, he’s looking forward to that. Nice. Great petty there from Nean. This one’s starting left tree line drifting even further left. He’s going to have to get lucky. And fortunately didn’t hit anyone on the full and that’s going to be an interesting shot from over there. He’ll have the option of bumping and running it up through the hollow. his answer as the fortnet stats underline. Not sure he has the firepower to get there. Can he prove me wrong? It’s flat and on a good line. Oh, he’s proved you wrong there. That’s find the front left portion. Interesting two putt coming up, but second shot. Tough one here for Mark Leeman at 12. We had a little gap through the trees and took the high ride. I was very surprised he was able to land that on the green, but wonderful touch. Took a little while for us to pan back over here to where Abraham is. Has to flirt like you say with the top of that ridge. Not bad. Yeah, pretty good. If he was any closer to that ridge you had mentioned, he’d always get the sand on out and try and lob it all the way back there. It’ll be a par on the scorecard, but unfortunately a three putt for that par, which is never a nice feeling. And an opportunity missed. Abraham answer. You see his frustration? But whilst it’s been a grind out here today, Leash currently one under par obviously makes this goes too. That’s the worst score he could be. He has been doing it easily. Apart from a couple of shots, it’s really been a clinic out here. A couple of more birdies on the way home. right up there with those other names you can see on screen. Comfortably done by Mark Leechman and he goes to two under. Wow. Gee, that is something special. I don’t know if you saw his first bounce there. He actually got the cushion of the front of the green which shot it forward. But by design, Nick, uh, that was more luck than anything, but he’ll tell you it was absolute skill. Pretend pretend like you meant it. Off it goes for Hill. You’re at 13. Yeah, fantastic shot of Kim Davis there. It’s about getting it anywhere on this green for the second part of the story which he finds to you’re not wrong Nick was not the place to be but somehow he’s managed to pull out yet another birdie and he’s four under par and just won a drift of Sebastian Garcia on top. Oh dear, days just got worse. Very out of character. Thought he made a really good uh move coming to Australia earlier uh last week straight off the back of his performance at the DP World Tour Championship and trying to settle in on the time zone. Quite oh my goodness paid off. And that was very expensive cuz he’s at five over par now. It’s the head of our leader at the moment. Garcia in the fairway bunker or just short of it there on five. Didn’t see any sand. So I’d say he’s just short making his back left pin. Aggressive. Might have another birdie coming up shortly. Going for the low hook. actually had a good lie there and a clear shot and he’s made a good fist of it up there short of the green as he was walking up to his ball. This hole runs in the opposite direction to 15. Young Victorian Conor McDade’s ball was about 5 m from Mark Leeman’s and his dad Dennis was on the bag who is Mark Leeman’s coach sporting that yellow bucket hat in memory of the late Jared Lyle. This is the BMW holeinone hole. Would love to see that go off this weekend. be hardressed to find one today though. The pin position over on the left not far from there. Go. It’s in. Daniel Gale. A BMW M5 Touring will look very nice in the garage. Get that engine running. What a shot. An ace for Daniel Gale. Incredible. What a golf shot. Another birdie putt here for our leader Sebastian Garcia to go two ahead. What a beautiful roll from the 36y old Spaniard. It’s a strong contingent of Spanish competitors this week. Even if you had to chip it after you’ve put it off the green. We all know Mariieri at 17. It’s a two. Five birdies and a bogey. Says he loves his motorsport. He’s certainly motoring through the opening round here. Now Cam Davis. Just 80 m on the button here. Wow. He’s dialed into his wedges this afternoon. He has got his eye in this afternoon. Sebastian Garcia, a victor on the challenge tour at the Hang Xiao Open in a playoff. So that’s where we are positioned. We play currently suspended. Sebastian Garcia, the 36y old from Madrid in Spain, slipped in under the radar. He leads by a couple at minus 7. A whole group of players at four under the card. Ryan Fox, Anthony Quail, Weding, Tapio Pulkin have been there since earlier in the day. and Munoz Barberi and Pickin still playing their opening around.

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