Unfortunately the clubhouse itself wasn’t so lucky. Thanks to windy conditions, the flames quickly spread through the structure, collapsing the roof and razing much of the building down to the foundation. CFA district 13 assistant fire office David Renkin called the clubhouse “a total loss”. The clouds of black smoke rising from the building were so intense they forced local pilots to reroute flights and a smoke warning was issued for nearby residents as the haze dispersed.

Needless to say, it was a sad day to for employees and members of the Yarra Valley club, but it could have been a lot worse. Buildings can be rebuilt and greens resodded. The important thing is that no one was hurt in the blaze.

Main image: Josh Potts

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There’s one place on God’s biologically diverse Earth that you may have to get up and down from the sand by flying it over a kangaroo. That place is Australia, the world’s exclusive streaming partner of the Marsupial Tour. But don’t take our word for it, just watch Animal Planet or, better yet, this video of a guy recording a remarkable sand save after hitting his bunker shot over a nearby ’roo. Don’t thin it!

Golf in Australia has its fair share of hazards. ??‍ pic.twitter.com/e223cklkLB

— mitchellbeer (@beermitchell) June 21, 2023

As if golf wasn’t hard enough already, Australia is now throwing living, breathing hopping hazards into the mix. No wonder the likes of Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith all plop down on American soil ready to win majors. They’ve been flopping it over exotic wildlife since they were in grade school. Nothing hones the short game like the threat of concussing an endangered species.

As for the kangaroo, this one didn’t seem too pleased with getting a sand bath while simply trying to eat breakfast.

If that look doesn’t say “hit into my group again and see what happens,” we don’t know what does.

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The Grange Golf Club in South Australia’s capital city will play host to the country’s debut event — LIV Golf Adelaide from April 21-23 — as  the new team competition and its stars will bring the fun to fans Down Under.

“Passion for sport is at the core of Australian culture, and LIV Golf is proud to bring its global league to a country deserving of the world’s top competition,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “This is an opportunity to grow the game with generations of Australians while connecting them with star players like Cameron Smith who are building a new platform for golf around the globe. There is massive potential for Australia to play a bigger role in this great sport, and I couldn’t be more excited to showcase Adelaide for our league’s debut year.”

“Securing the first Australian LIV Golf tournament is an exciting coup for South Australia,” said Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas. “As Premier, I am determined to lure more major events to South Australia, which means more visitors, more economic activity and more jobs. This is exactly what our economy needs as we emerge from the pandemic, in particular our hospitality sector which has done it tough over the past couple of years. LIV Golf will bring some of the world’s best golf players to SA for an event the likes of which our country has never seen before.”

The Grange has hosted major professional events including the West Lakes Classic, where Norman claimed his first professional victory in 1976. “The Grange Golf Club is excited to host the world’s best golfers at our course,” said club President Nicolle Rantanen Reynolds. “It is recognition of our excellent facilities and our ability to host world-class golf tournaments. We are looking forward to working with LIV Golf and the SA Government to deliver an outstanding event.”

LIV Golf’s international field will feature major winners including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and more.

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By Matt Smith
Jack Newton, the colourful Australian golfer who narrowly missed out on claiming the 1975 Open Championship and 1980 Masters has died. He was 72.

Newton it was confirmed that Newton passed away on Wednesday night due to health complications,.

Newton was defeated by Tom Watson at Carnoustie in a dramatic 1975 Open and was once again denied when Seve Ballesteros edged him out at Augusta National in 1980.

The New South Wales native saw his career cut short when he lost his right arm and eye at the age of 33 when he was by a spinning propeller as he prepared to board an aeroplane.

Following his career as a player he became a golf course architect and television commentator.

“On behalf of our family, it is with great sadness I announce that our courageous and loving husband, father, brother, grandfather, and mate, Jack Newton OAM [Order of Australia] has passed away overnight due to health complications,” said a statement from Newton’s son, Clint.

“He fought back from tremendous adversity as only he could, and chose to selflessly invest his time, energy, and effort towards giving back to the community through his Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation, sports commentary, golf course design, and raising significant funds for several charities, most notably, diabetes.

“His passion for sport and contributing to future generations of golfers and the Australian community demonstrates the character of our father, beloved husband, proud brother, adoring grandfather, and maverick mate.”

Among Newton’s achievements as a player was winning the British Matchplay in 1974, the Buick-Goodwrench Open in 1978 and the Australian Open in 1979.

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By Brian Wacker
The sun was shining while the palm trees swayed in a steady breeze as a small squall blew through Waialae Country Club on Tuesday afternoon. Five thousand miles away, Australia could have used the rain as the country continued to burn.

Since the wildfires Down Under began in Queensland and New South Wales last September—fueled by a long, intense drought—nearly 20 million acres have been scorched, according to multiple reports. At least 25 people have died, more than a half-billion animals have perished and scores of residents have been forced to flee their homes.

Among them was Cameron Smith’s uncle, who fled Tumbarumba, a small town about 300 miles southeast of Sydney, to Smith’s home in Florida a few days ago after losing his house, tractors, horses, “just everything, really,” according to Smith.

“It’s pretty bad,” Smith said. “He’s OK, and that’s the main thing, but it’s still a big loss. It’s just bad.”

The ongoing tragedy, of course, is personal for Smith and many of the Australians on the PGA Tour. It’s why the 26-year-old is pledging $500 a birdie and $1,000 per eagle this week at the Sony Open. Countryman Marc Leishman is doing the same, and his Begin Again Foundation will match every donation made up to $5,000.

“Everything is so dry it’s hard to see it getting better,” Leishman said.

Their donations are a start.

Golf is a sport with deep pockets and can have a significant impact, which is why the Presidents Cup, run by the PGA Tour and held last month at Royal Melbourne, will kick in as well. Tour officials have committed to match whatever donations players make at this week’s Sony Open, up to $125,000. Smith and Leishman were both members of the International team at Royal Melbourne.

“It’s just devastating for the families,” said Leishman, who figures he has about 15 family members still in the country, all safe—for the moment, anyway. “Firefighters and people risking their lives to save homes and other people’s lives, animals as well. … You feel kind of helpless.”

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas last September, a number of players and powerful figures in the game came together to raise millions for that island nation. It will likely take years for parts of the Bahamas to return to normal. That money makes a difference.

In Australia, the fires aren’t expected to stop anytime soon; it’s only the beginning of the fire season there. Flames have hit every state in Australia, but New South Wales and Victoria—home to Sydney and Melbourne—are in the worst shape.

While Sydney and Melbourne are currently safe from the fires, coastal areas between the two cities have been hit hard, particularly in the south. Victoria is under a state of disaster and New South Wales a state of emergency.

Which is why help continues to pour in from all directions.

Actor Chris Hemsworth has pledged $1 million to relief efforts; Nicole Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban $500,000; Russell Crowe more than $100,000.

Golf can and should continue to get on board, too.

LPGA stars Jessica and Nelly Korda, whose father Petr won the 1998 Australian Open in tennis, have promised $150 for each birdie and $300 for every eagle they make during the LPGA’s two opening events of the 2020 season in Florida. Others will likely follow suit, too. Some already have.

Other Aussies in the field at Waialae this week—Matt Jones, Cameron Davis, Cameron Percy and Rhein Gibson—have offered to make donations as well.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Leishman said of the disaster.

Every little bit of aid helps.

“So much is lost, you don’t know what to do,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to help in every way. It’s not that much, but if everyone helps in a small way it can turn into a big help.”

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By Dave Shedloski
ORLANDO, Fla. – A wild-card pick by captain Fred Couples in the 2011 Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods validated his inclusion on the U.S. team by capturing the clinching point at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

He could well find himself with an opportunity to reprise that moment when the Presidents Cup returns to Royal Melbourne next December. If he doesn’t qualify for the American squad on points, he’d have to engage in a serious conversation with the captain being one of four picks. And he’d prefer to avoid that.

“I would like to get to a point where I’m playing well enough where I could make the team on points,” Woods said. “I wouldn’t want to have the conversation and go, ‘Self.’ I don’t really want to have that conversation, so let’s just see how it progresses.”

That intriguing scenario – and one he could envision only in his most optimistic aspirations – could present itself to the former World No. 1 player after he and Ernie Els were introduced officially Tuesday at Bay Hill Club as the Presidents Cup captains for the 13th edition of the biennial matches.

The youngest captain in the event’s history, Woods, 42, subtly lobbied PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for the position after America swept to its 10th win in October at Liberty National Golf Club. That was at a time when he was uncertain of his competitive future after undergoing spinal fusion surgery last February.

But Woods’ comeback, which continues this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, has gone exceedingly well, capped thus far by his tie for second place last week at the Valspar Championship in nearby Palm Harbor, Fla. While the 2019 Presidents Cup isn’t until Dec. 12-15, Woods already has to address the prospect of becoming only the second playing captain after Hale Irwin pulled double duty in the inaugural edition in 1994.

He knew it was possible, and he addressed it with Monahan when he began talking to the commissioner about the role after serving as an assistant captain to Davis Love III in the 2016 Ryder Cup and to Steve Stricker in last year’s Presidents Cup. He also will serve as an assistant captain to Jim Furyk in the Ryder Cup this fall in Paris.

“It was just a natural progression to one day become captain,” said Woods, the 14-time major champion, who will be just a few weeks shy of 44 when the matches conclude in Australia.

“Hale did it in the first year. And I know it was the first year, the inaugural event, but he still did it. So, I just wondered if that was an opportunity and he [Monahan] said that there’s nothing in the bylaws that say that I can’t do it,” said Woods, who has competed in eight Presidents Cups for the U.S. and scored the clinching point in 2009, ’11 and ’13. “It’s going to be dependent on myself, my assistants and the players, if I happen to get to that point. That’s a bridge that’s a long way away from now to be crossing, but if it does come to that point, it won’t just be just my decision, it will be a collaborative effort, what is best for the team.”

Irwin was ranked 28th in the world and qualified automatically for the U.S. team by finishing seventh in the points standings when he played for the U.S. He won two of his three matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, including a 1-up singles victory over Robert Allenby of Australia. Paul Azinger handled the captain’s duties when Irwin played.

It will be more difficult for Woods to qualify on points. A change to the qualifying process was announced Tuesday with an increase in captain’s picks, from two to four, for each team in filling out the 12-man squads. Qualifying will end after the Tour Championship scheduled for early September 2019, with automatic berths going to the top eight Americans on the points list and the top eight International players in the world rankings.

While Woods is a surprise selection – he didn’t even consider himself a candidate until nudged by Love, Stricker and others – Els was a logical successor to Nick Price as the International Team captain after serving as an assistant last year. A four-time major champion, Els, 48, has competed eight times in the event, but his only winning experience came in the 1998 matches at Royal Melbourne.

The Big Easy doesn’t believe he’ll find himself in the same quandary as Woods. “No, I think I’m going to be captaining,” he said flatly.

The selection of Woods and Els brings a third dynamic pairing of captains to the Presidents Cup after Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player of South Africa each served four times and Fred Couples and Greg Norman of Australia squared off twice. But Woods and Els bring a new dimension of relative youth and competitiveness.

“I think it’s a huge impact,” Monahan said of the pair. “And I think it’s a huge impact because for two reasons, one, they’re going to bring the world at large to the Presidents Cup as they have done every time that they’re competing on a global stage. And in doing so they’re likely going to be bringing forward future stars.”

Of course, Woods and Els share a special Presidents Cup bond. When the 2003 competition in Fancourt, South Africa, ended in a tie, Nicklaus selected Woods and Player picked Els to compete in a sudden-death playoff. The pair went a nerve-fraying three holes, the last in near darkness before Nicklaus and Player decided to end the playoff and share the cup rather than have the duel continue the next morning.

“We were talking about that then and there that night for a very long period of time with certain libations,” Woods said, “and we couldn’t believe the amount of pressure we felt. We both had won major championships, but nothing felt like that.”

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Dubai-based teen Zubair Firdaus has just scored a 12-month residential scholarship to the Hills Academy in Queensland, Australia on the back of his recent victory at the AmBank International Junior Golf Championship in Malaysia.

The 14-year-old is an elite junior squad member at the European Tour Performance Institute (EPTI) and is reaping the benefits of 18-months hard work at the Jumeriah Golf Estates facility.

As well as topping the 13-14-year-old boys’ category in Malaysia, Firdaus carded the top gross score in the under-18s category against 120 competitors to clinch the scholarship worth more than AED 120,000 ($32,000).

Mark Gregson-Walters, Director of Instruction at the EPTI, sees a bright future for one of his star pupils. As well as the win in Malaysia, Firdaus has also captured the Emirates Junior Open, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club Junior Open and the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Junior Open in the past two months.

“At the European Tour Performance Institute, we are committed to developing and nurturing talent, particularly when it comes to the next generation of golfers. Zubair is a shining example of a local young athlete who is talented, hardworking and determined to improve his skills and compete at the highest level for his age group,” Gregson-Walters said.

“With the support of our team at the world-class ETPI facility, Zubair has excelled. We are not only proud of his achievements to date but there is genuine excitement about watching him grow, and realising his potential for future success.”

Recently voted as ‘Golf Academy of the Year’ at the 2016 Middle East Golf Awards, the EPTI is a state-of-art instructional facilities offering an unrivalled teaching and practice experience and the chance to rub shoulders with some of the game’s biggest names as Firdaus did recently meeting Open champion Henrik Stenson (pictured below on the range at JGE).

It features the latest swing analysis studios, a full gym with personal trainers, along with wellbeing services such as nutritional consultancy and sports massage.

Main image courtesy Emirates Golf Federation

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