09 Oct 2024 | Professional golf |

Aussies on Tour: Campbell leans on Scott for amateur farewell

by Tony Webeck

Phoenix Campbell Japan Open
Phoenix Campbell will play his final event as an amateur at this week's Japan Open.

A practice round with Adam Scott and a spot in the field at one of world golf’s most feted championships will mark the perfect way for Victorian Phoenix Campbell to farewell the amateur ranks.

The Queensland PGA champion at Nudgee last year and winner of the Master of the Amateurs in January, Campbell will play this week’s Japan Open as an amateur before making his professional debut at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open at Mandurah Country Club next week.

With an honour roll that boasts Seve Ballesteros, Isao Aoki, Craig Parry and Hideki Matsuyama, the Japan Open is renowned for the challenge it presents.

The famed Tokyo Golf Club will be no different this week, Scott’s guidance in a Wednesday practice round an ideal introduction to what Campbell can expect a Japan Open to throw at him.

Although thrilled to share the experience with Scott, it is not the first time that Campbell has been inside the ropes with the 2013 Masters champion.

“I have met him. I was actually the carry-boarder for the Masters at Huntingdale in 2015,” Campbell shared.

“I met him on the tee, which was the first time I met him. I’m sure he won’t remember that, but I’ll remind him.”

The top Aussie at last week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Campbell is one of three young Australians who will turn professional in the coming weeks.

The 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, Jasper Stubbs, makes his pro debut at this week’s WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie to be followed by Campbell at the WA Open and finally Quinn Croker at Webex Players Series South Australia the week after.

For Campbell, it represents a chance to create a shared experience in relatively familiar surrounds.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Campbell, who has a two-year exemption on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia by virtue of his win at Nudgee.

“I’ve been preparing the last six to 12 months at least to make the switch. I’m looking forward to doing it on home soil where I feel comfortable and excited to get underway.

“We’ve been overseas the last three months travelling together, so we’ve gotten to know each other really well.

“It’s cool to do it with your peers and know that there’s other people coming along for the ride with you.”

Min Woo Lee will have 19 fellow Australians trying to deny him a successful defence of his SJM Macao Open title on the Asian Tour, David Micheluzzi is the lone Aussie in the field at the FedEx Open de France at Le Golf National and Hannah Green and Minjee Lee resume their LPGA seasons at the Buick LPGA Shanghai event in China.

Round 1 tee times AEDT

PGA TOUR Black Desert Championship Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah 2:02am* Aaron Baddeley 2:08am Ryan Fox (NZ) 5:35am* Tim Wilkinson

Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US7.5 million TV times: Live 3:30am-11am Friday, Saturday; Live 8am-11am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

LPGA Tour Buick LPGA Shanghai Qizhong Garden Golf Club, Shanghai, China 12:26pm Hira Naveed 1:10pm Hannah Green 1:21pm Minjee Lee

Defending champion: Angel Yin Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US2.1 million TV times: Live 2pm-7pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 2pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

DP World Tour FedEx Open de France Le Golf National, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France 6:55pm David Micheluzzi

Defending champion: Ryo Hisatsune Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1980), Robert Allenby (1996) Prize money: $US2.1 million TV times: Live 10:30pm-3:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 10pm-2:30am Saturday; Live 9:30pm-2:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Asian Tour SJM Macao Open Macau Golf and Country Club, Macao, China 9:35am* Deyen Lawson 9:40am Nick Voke (NZ) 10am Jack Thompson 10:15am* Maverick Antcliff 10:30am Marcus Fraser 10:40am Andrew Dodt 10:50am Justin Warren 11am Aaron Wilkin 11:10am Lachlan Barker 2:30pm* Jordan Zunic 2:35pm Brendan Jones 2:45pm Min Woo Lee 2:55pm Wade Ormsby 3pm* Kevin Yuan 3:05pm Jed Morgan 3:10pm* Zach Murray 3:15pm Scott Hend 3:20pm* Todd Sinnott 3:25pm Doug Klein 3:35pm Denzel Ieremia (NZ), Sam Brazel 3:40pm* Harrison Crowe

Defending champion: Min Woo Lee Past Aussie winners: Kane Webber (2006), David Gleeson (2008), Scott Hend (2013, 2015), Min Woo Lee (2023) Prize money: $US1 million TV times: Live 4pm-8pm Thursday, Friday; Live 3pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.

Ladies European Tour Wistron Ladies Open – Taiwan Sunrise Golf and Country Club, Chinese Taipei 10:12am* Kirsten Rudgeley

Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US1 million

Japan Golf Tour Japan Open Tokyo Golf Club, Saitama 8:55am* Brad Kennedy 9:05am* Michael Hendry (NZ) 1:55pm Adam Scott 2:05pm Phoenix Campbell (a)

Defending champion: Akuryu Iwasaki Past Aussie winners: Craig Parry (1997), Paul Sheehan (2006) Prize money: ¥210 million

PGA TOUR Champions SAS Championship Prestonwood CC, Cary, North Carolina Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Michael Wright.

Defending champion: Rod Pampling Past Aussie winners: Rod Pampling (2023) Prize money: $US2.1 million TV times: Live 5am-8am Saturday on Fox Sports 507; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Challenge Tour Hainan Open 2024 Sanya Luhuitou GC, Donghai Bay, China 2:35pm* Hayden Hopewell 4:05pm* George Worrall

Defending champion: Ricardo Gouveia Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US500,00

Korean PGA Tour Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open Asiad Country Club, Korea 9:10am Changgi Lee (NZ) 10:40am* Junseok Lee 1:30pm* Kevin Chun (NZ) 1:40pm Wonjoon Lee 1:40pm* Sungjin Yeo (NZ)

Defending champion: Eom Jae-woong Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: KRW1 billion

Sunshine Tour Vodacom Origins of Golf – Wild Coast Wild Coast Sun Country Club, Port Edward, South Africa Australasians in the field: Austin Bautista

Defending champion: Pieter Moolman Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: R2 million

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