Off the Leish Australia’s Marc Leishman has recorded two eagles on his way to a five-under par 65 in the opening round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.
The 2009 Rookie of the Year had the clubhouse lead before Ryan Palmer came in with a six-under 64 late in the day. Leishman’s round was his lowest score since his opening round of the 2011 season at the Sony Open in Hawaii 17 months ago.
"Today was a good reward for the work I’ve been doing the last three or four weeks," said Leishman.
The 28-year-old Victorian chipped in at the par-4 11th after he nearly drove the green then produced another eagle at the par-5 16th after draining an eight-foot eagle putt.
-6 Ryan Palmer
-5 Marc Leishman
-5 Alex Cejka
-4 Scott Piercy
-4 Charley Hoffman
Perth International
The website for the richest golf tournament in Australia has just been launched…including a special preview from Golf Vacations.
The US$2million Perth International will take place at Lake Karrinyup near Perth in Western Australia in October. The winner will take home US$360,000 and some of the best players in the world are expected to take part. The event will be broadcast to 350 million homes in more than 65 countries.
The tournament is a joint initiative of Eventscorp and International Management Group (IMG) to bring another major golf event to Perth.
Gary & Dave’s Amazing Adventure
There are just a few more sleeps to go before Australia’s leading golf course photographer heads off on his trip to Europe.
Gary Lisbon, whose brilliant work is featured regularly in Golf Vacations, will be playing 40 of the world’s top 100 layouts in just 32 days. His odyssey around England, Scotland and Ireland begins on May 27 and continues until June 29.
As well as capturing images from the tour, Gary is hoping to raise money for Door of Hope Australia. For more information and to follow Gary’s adventure, head to links4032.com/author/golfselect/
Golfing with the stars
Popular TV celebrity and Dancing With The Stars contestant Kerri-Anne Kennerley swaps her tap shoes for golf spikes in the April issue of Golf Vacations.
Kerri-Anne writes about her recent golfing holiday in South Africa, giving readers a very personal insight into her trip, along with pictures from her very own photo album.
With Bubba Watson’s emotional win in The Masters still fresh in the memory, we take you behind the scenes at the world’s greatest golf tournament. Tony Sinclair was able to play the course on the Monday after the event and his article is a must-read for all golfers.
You may not be able to get a game at Augusta but there’s a great trip to the beautiful Sanctuary Cove resort in Queensland up for grabs. One lucky winner will get five nights accommodation and two rounds of golf on either The Palms or The Pines.
Also in the latest issue, a look at the scenic Tanunda Pines course in South Australia, four of the best courses in Scotland, plus how to channel your inner cowboy at a new layout in Texas.
Great prizes, great features, great photos. Make sure you’ve got a copy of Golf Vacations this autumn.
The Golf Show team cover all things golf with their tips, analysis and previews and reviews of tournaments, results and scores. Catch them every Tuesday night at 7.30pm.
It’s been a very exciting time for two lucky Golf Vacations subscribers who picked up amazing prizes in our recent competitions.
Darryl Sisson from New South Wales won a brand new set of Mizuno JPX800 HD irons, JPX800 driver, Fairway Wood and Hybrid plus a bag worth AU$2,000. The 18-handicapper received the clubs from Golf Vacations editor Jon Underwood.
And 16-handicapper Mark Eva (pictured at Jack’s Point) from Victoria was just about to head off and celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Linda when we told him he’d won a trip to Queenstown to play in the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship.
He writes: “By the time we actually arrived in Queenstown I was in a state of disbelief that this was actually going to happen. I need not have worried about this as the experience, outside of family, was THE best experience of my life.”
Mark and Linda were particularly impressed with the hospitality of the staff at Hilton Queenstown, Air New Zealand and at the tournament, which was held at The Hills. He got to play with former All Black captain Justin Marshall and touring pro Jason Norris from South Australia.
How did he play? “Best round of golf in my life on one of the best courses I've ever played on and a great guy to be paired with. I was in my own golfing nirvana.”
Editor’s note: Thanks to everyone who entered these competitions and if you’d like you own slice of the golfing good life, make sure you enter our current prize to win a trip to Sanctuary Cove. And watch out for more great prizes from Golf Vacations.
Golf Vacations editor Jon Underwood was a guest on the top American radio show Where To Play Golf, hosted by Michael Stewart and Tim Bona. Michael founded Where To Play Golf more than 10 years ago while Tim wrote the Blazing Saddles article in our April issue. For more information, visit wheretoplaygolf.com
In case you missed it
Speed demon
In one of the most robust consumer trial programs Nike Golf has ever introduced, the company is conducting Speed Trials from May to July at golf courses and retailers across the country. Throughout the season, Nike Speed Trials will offer consumers the opportunity to experience Nike’s fastest lineup ever: the VR_S club line.
Nike Speed Trials will allow consumers to compare the speed and distance of clubs in their current bag, as well as other demo clubs, to the new Nike VR_S products on a launch monitor.
Registered participants’ will have three drives and their longest drive recorded on a national leader board, with the winner heading to the ultimate speed event, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix in September.
Aloha Hawaii
A new golf package on offer from the Keauhou Beach Resort in Hawaii allows players to enjoy the challenge of three top courses on the island.
The Kona Golf Trail includes the Kona Country Club, the Makalei Golf Club and the Big Island Country Club. Kona features ocean and mountain views while Makalei has a stunning backdrop of the western slopes of the Hualalai Mountain. Famed golf architect Perry Dye designed Big Island, which features wide fairways and water, situated against the base of the Mauna Kea Mountain.
Until December 21, guests can stay at Keauhou Beach Resort for a minimum of three nights and play three rounds at select courses. The Kona Golf Trail package starts at US$517 for one golfer and US$677 for two.
After returning from golf, guests can retreat to their ocean view rooms and take advantage of the hotel amenities, including free Internet access in all rooms and Wi-Fi in the lobby.
Strike gold
Two of the Gold Coast’s leading courses have announced they are slashing membership prices.
For the months of May and June only, The Colonial and Robina Woods are offering local golfers a dual three-month membership, offering a saving of AU$300.
The price for the three-month memberships have been almost halved from AU$700 to AU$399 as part of an end of financial year sale.
Boasting lush fairways and pristine surroundings, the plush courses were recently revamped and refurbished after being taken over by Queensland’s leading businessman, Clive Palmer.
“Both courses are in pristine condition and look magnificent,” said Angie Ison, Managing Director for both courses. “They offer state-of-the-art facilities so it’s the perfect time to make the most of a fantastic money-saving opportunity.”
For more information, call +61-7/5553-7520.
Airway to the fairway
For keen golfers wanting a taste of adventure, Skysafari, in conjunction with Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club, have created the ultimate day tour.
Taking in three of North Queensland’s courses, golfers will travel by helicopter to experience breathtaking views and 27 holes of golf at Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club, Sea Temple Port Douglas and Cooktown Golf Links at Walker Bay.
Based on a minimum group of three passengers, the day tour is fully inclusive and priced at AU$1,440 per person. Terms and conditions apply.
Try Thai
Thailand has developed a reputation as one of Asia’s leading golfing destinations with more than 200 courses scattered around the country. The high standard and variety of course, professional management, fabulous scenery, and wonderful year round climate have succeeded in attracting golfers from all over the world
With 28 years of sports travel experience, International Sports Tours can offer quality golf tours to Thailand. The company has a range of Golf Tour Packages available from a personalised custom tour program to set events like the Phuket Amateur Golf Week, Chiang Mai Amateur Golf Week, Pattaya Amateur Golf Week and Hau Hin Amateur Golf Week.
IST can cater for individuals, groups, companies and organisations.
For more information, visit sportstours.com.au
