Polish star Meronk surges past Scott to take Australian Open...final results

 DP World Tour: ISPS Handa Australian Open Results

Adrian Meronk stormed to a second DP World Tour title as he eagled the last in a stunning five-shot victory at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne.

The Pole entered the day at Victoria Golf Club a shot behind former World Number One Adam Scott but after a two-shot swing on the first he never looked back, signing for a 66 to finish at 14 under.

Scott carded a 72 in front of adoring home crowds to finish a shot ahead of another Australian in Min Woo Lee, who recorded a closing 69.

Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares signed for a 64 to finish at seven under alongside Australia's Haydn Barron, one clear of Kiwi Josh Geary.

Lee, Cañizares and Barron all booked their places at The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool thanks to their finishes.

Meronk made the trip Down Under after a 2022 season that saw him become the first Polish player to win a DP World Tour event thanks to his triumph at the Horizon Irish Open and finish eighth in the Rankings.

He was four over after his first 16 holes in Melbourne and looked like he could be in a battle to make the cut after a 73 but followed that up with rounds of 66-63-66 to storm to the top of the leaderboard and take the trophy.

“I’m super excited and to finish like that on the 18th hole is just unreal," he said. “I’m so grateful, thank you for all the support and I enjoyed this week so much.

“I felt really good again today. I kept doing what I’ve done the last two days and it worked pretty well. I’m super proud of myself, proud of my team and super happy right now."

In the women's event, South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai finished a shot ahead of South Korean Jiyai Shin, while Kipp Popert cruised to victory in the G4D Tour season opener, winning the Australian All Abilities Championship @ the ISPS HANDA Australian Open by seven shots.

There was a two-shot swing on the first as Scott dropped a shot and Meronk made a birdie and the lead was two when the 29-year-old put an approach to four feet on the next.

Scott came roaring back as he holed a 15-footer on the fourth and put an approach to two feet on the fifth but he bogeyed the seventh to once again drop out of the lead.

He failed to get up and down from the sand on the eighth and with Meronk making a two-putt birdie on the par-five ninth, the Pole led by three at the turn.

Scott hit a smart approach into the 12th to trim the lead and made a good par save at the next, with Meronk unable to do the same from the greenside bunker.

A wonderful bunker shot on the driveable 15th helped set up a birdie and while Meronk gave that shot back on the 17th, Scott went out of bounds off the tee to surrender a double-bogey.

That gave Meronk a three-shot cushion heading up the last and he completed an emphatic victory by holing a long putt from just off the 18th green to spark wild celebrations.

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Lawrence leads into Sunday, Cockerill's par 72... full leaderboard

 DP World Tour : Investec South African Open Leaderboard

Thriston Lawrence continued what he's excelled at all week at his national championship the Investec South African Open, driving it well, solid irons and a red hot putter led him to a Saturday -5 67 combined with earlier 64 67 his -18 total is 2 shots clear of the field heading into Sunday's final round.

He'll be in the final pairing with Frenchman Clement Sordet -16 and Swede Jens Fahrbring -12 

Meanwhile at the other end of the leaderboard Canada's Aaron Cockerill posted 4 birdies, 2 bogey's and a costly double for E 72 and a -2 total T59th. He'll be playing for money and points on Sunday in his 2nd event of the 2023 season.

Bryan Angus

Eagle finish puts Scott atop the leaderboard Australian Open.. full scoreboard

 DP World Tour : ISPS Handa Australian Open Leaderboard

Home hero Adam Scott made a closing eagle for the second day in a row to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

Adrian Meronk had tied the course record and his lowest DP World Tour round with a 63 to set the target at ten under and it looked like he would be the man with the advantage after 54 holes.

But Scott made a birdie on the 15th and then eagled the last in a 67 to leapfrog the Pole as he looks for a second win in his national open after triumphing 13 years ago.

Min Woo Lee carded a 65 to sit four shots off the lead alongside fellow Australian Haydn Barrow, with Kiwi Josh Geary and Irishman Conor Purcell at six under.

In the women's event, South Korea's Jiyai Shin will take a one-shot lead over South African Ashleigh Buhai into the final round, while Kurtis Barkley signed for a sensational 69 to lead the Australian All Abilities Championship @ the ISPS HANDA Australian Open - the opening event of the 2023 G4D Tour season - by three shots at one under.

Scott was frustrated after a 71 on day one at Kingston Heath Golf Club but since moving over to Victoria he has barely put a foot wrong, making just one bogey in his last two rounds to fly up the leaderboard.

Huge crowds are sure to follow the former World Number One on the final day as he looks for a 12th DP World Tour title full of belief in an all-star group with Meronk and Lee.

"I think the crowd’s been awesome the last two days out here," he said. "It’s been a great week. It’s great to see so many people coming out to the golf and I certainly have had incredible support, just going to the first tee. I’ve felt the love, so I’m looking forward to feeling it tomorrow and hopefully I can play some really good golf and show them a win out there.

"I believe I’m going to do it but without using clichés, there’s no point thinking about my winner’s speech right now. I’ve got a long way to navigate my round, get around the course tomorrow, but I absolutely believe I’m going to do it. If you don’t believe in it, then you won’t do it.

"So, I’ve got to go out tomorrow and do much of the same stuff I did today and if I get a couple of good numbers and the putts drop, I know when to challenge and when to hold back a little."

Cockerill makes the cut, Lawrence leads South African Open.. live scoreboard

 DP World Tour: Investec South African Open Leaderboard

South African Thirston Lawrence is in the clubhouse with the lead late in round 2 at the Investec South African Open with rounds of  64 67 -13, two shots ahead of another Springbok Ockie Strydom 70 63 -11.

The Blair Atholl GC is one of the world's longest at over 8000 yards and Lawrence who won the Joburg Open in 2021 says his driver has always been the best club in his bag, but a recent putting tip from his father has the putts dropping so far for him this week.

" The last 3 weeks I've been putting awful, but my Dad saw something, gave me a tip and I trusted him. When the putts start to fall, your confidence rises, so let's hope I can keep this going."

Canada's Aaron Cockerill opened with a bogey free -4 68 and that has proved crucial. This morning the birdies dried up, but with 16 pars and just 2 bogey's his +2 74 see's him right on the cut line at -2, albeit 11 shots off the lead.

Round 2 was finally stopped before completion due to bad weather including lightning in the area. It will be completed at dawn on Saturday.

Bryan Angus

Record round by Adam Scott surges into tie for lead at Australian Open...full scoreboard

 DP World Tour: ISPS Handa Australian Open Leaderboard

Adam Scott eagled the last in a brilliant course-record-equalling 63 to share the lead with David Micheluzzi heading into the weekend at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The 2009 champion had started the day six shots behind fellow home favourite and overnight leader Micheluzzi but carded five birdies and that closing eagle at Victoria Golf Club to soar to the summit at eight under.

Micheluzzi had maintained his three-shot advantage for much of the day but bogeyed the 16th and last at Kingston Heath Golf Club to sign for a 71.

Australia's Haydn Barron, Kiwi Josh Geary and American Gunner Wiebe were the nearest challengers three shots back.

Home favourite Hannah Green leads the women's event on 11 under, while World Number One Kipp Popert has a one stroke advantage over Ireland's Brendan Lawlor in the Australian All Abilities Championship @ the ISPS HANDA Australian Open - the opening event of the 2023 G4D Tour season.

Scott admitted he had been frustrated with his 71 on day one but was glad to harness all his experience as he looks for DP World Tour win number 12 and a second on home soil.

"It’s not the first time I’ve played terrible obviously but it is frustrating because I’m out playing in a tournament, the Australian Open, and I want to play well," he said.

"Yes, it’s frustrating but using the experience, I’ve had plenty of bad rounds in my career and had to come out the next day.

"I also pride myself on kind of not throwing in the towel. I don’t rack up big numbers too often and I also don’t withdraw playing bad, so I’m here to win the tournament this week and it can turn around quick. I have that experience as well and it did today.

"Hopefully I can keep running in this direction tomorrow. It’s always nice when the tournament can take a lot of players out of it.

"If I can play well tomorrow and anyone else can come with and it’s only a few guys in it, that’d be a great position for Sunday. Then maybe I have some advantage from experience."

Micheluzzi was relishing the chance to play in the final group on Saturday with 2013 Masters Tournament Champion Scott and was proud of himself for staying under par in round two.

"It was a grind," he said. "I didn't hit it my best. Definitely not like yesterday. All in all I'm pretty happy with the way I ground it out.

"The way I hit it was awful so to shoot under par around this course that scares the living daylights out of me, I'm pretty happy.

"It's one of the things I've dreamed of. Australian Open with Scotty, it will be insane. The amount of people that will be there and all that will be pretty cool. I'm just looking forward to it.

"I'm just going to go out and play some golf. If it's good enough it's good enough, if not, won't stress. I know I'm playing good golf going into next year or going into the next couple of events after this. I'll just keep plugging away at it and if it happens it happens. If not, then so be it, go on to the next one.

Local lad Micheluzzi leads Australian Open.. full scoreboard

 DP World Tour : ISPS Handa Australian Open  Leaderboard

David Micheluzzi fired his lowest DP World Tour round to open up a three-shot lead after day one of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

The local favourite has enjoyed an excellent start to the season on home soil, securing a maiden top ten last week in Brisbane, and he has brought that form south with him to Melbourne.

The 26-year-old ranked 556th in the world, carded a 63 at Victoria Golf Club to get to seven under and lead the way from countryman Matthew Griffin and Kiwi Josh Geary.

Last week's winner Cam Smith played what he called "pretty rubbish" and posted +1 71 leaving him a challenge to make the cut on Friday. The top 60 and ties make the cut in both fields, but in a twist a second cut after Saturday will leave 30 players from each tour playing on the same course for the first time. 

Australia's national open is breaking new ground this week with 300 players taking part across the men's, women's and All Abilities championships.

In the women's event, Australia's Grace Kim carded a course-record 66 at Kingston Heath Golf Club to sit at seven under, two ahead of compatriot Hannah Green and South Korea's Jiyai Shin. 

"I say this all the time but I love beating the guys, I think it's just fun," Kim said. "For the spectators as well, it's just easier for us to showcase what we've got."

Micheluzzi is a recent winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, lifting the trophy at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics, and he was delighted to tie the course record on Melbourne's famed Sandbelt.

"I’ve just gotten better at everything," he said. "I feel like my course management’s really good all the time. I know how to think around a golf course. Just hitting it better, just comfortable with playing these events now.

"I think this is our seventh event in the space of nine weeks, so just being comfortable in the situation. I think everything today just felt good. I actually wanted to keep playing, so I reckon I could have made a whole lot more birdies.

"I think when I turned pro it was scary. It was the first time I’ve actually been scared on a golf course, scared of where I’m going to hit it and if I’m going to hit it in the trees or in the bunker. I was worried about what everyone else thought rather than just playing golf.

"I think the more experience, the better. I think I’ve played enough pro events now that it’s just another round of golf. If I shoot 75, 76 I still go home, mum tells me to unload the dishwasher, all that kind of stuff. It just feels like a normal round of golf now, which is great."

Cockerill -4 68 T13 South African Open... full scoreboard

 DP World Tour : Investec South African Open...Leaderboard

Thriston Lawrence leads the Investec South African Open Championship by a shot after firing an -8 64 to equal the course record he set last year.

Lawrence posted nine birdies and just the one bogey in his first round at the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate and stayed at the top despite charges from late starters Ross Fisher and Jens Fahrbring, who both shot 65.

German Matti Schmid had led for most of the day after teeing off at 6.20am and posting three eagles in an impressive 66.

But South African Lawrence, recently named last season’s Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, jumped to the summit before Fisher finished strongly with three birdies in his last four holes and Swede Fahrbring joined the Englishman.

Scott Jamieson and JJ Senekal share fourth place with Schmid on six under while young Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin is in a six-strong group three off the lead after a 67 that included a hole-in-one.

After missing the cut at last week's Joburg Open, Canada's Aaron Cockerill took advantage of some extra practice time to post a bogey free -4 68. He's in a group of 12 at T13, four shots off the lead heading into Friday.

This week's venue set the record for the longest ever used on the DP World Tour. It measures 8,161 yards and Lawrence said: "It's really long but I like that. I like to play full shots into the greens. It's a long golf course but I think it suits me.

"It's quite forgiving off the tee but you need to be in play to give yourself a full shot."

Five of the last seven editions of this event have been won by South Africans and Lawrence would love to add his name to the list.

"Everybody wants to get their hands on that trophy so that's a good start. But there's three days left so I've just got to pray and hope," he said.

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edit Bryan Angus