In a close battle between Australia’s best male and female tour professionals, it was our leading LPGA star who shone brightest in the past 12 months.
Player of the year: Minjee Lee
On the surface, Minjee Lee entered 2023 with great expectations. Coming off a year when she won twice on the LPGA Tour, including a second major at the US Women’s Open with a ball-striking masterclass, the Perth professional appeared primed for an even better season.
But those in Lee’s inner circle knew about the elephant in the room. Tee to green, Minjee was comfortably the world’s best woman golfer. But she was ranked 158th on the LPGA Tour in Strokes Gained Putting. It reached crisis point during last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne where Lee missed 12 putts inside a metre (eight of which were inside two feet).
Lee and longtime coach Ritchie Smith embarked on a ‘Pre-Season’ – an intense six-week practice period to rebuild the putting stroke that was once the envy of her amateur colleagues.
Lee’s putting problems were threefold, according to Smith. Just after turning pro in 2014, she changed to a two-ball mallet putter and then couldn’t match the stroke that had been honed with a blade putter. This was further complicated when she underwent corrective laser-eye surgery in 2018. Her eyesight was better, but the surgery affected the way she saw putts. She was also over-reading greens, allowing too much break and not understanding the relationship between break and start line.
Despite the ‘Pre-Season’ work, the putting demons returned in Lee’s first tournament of 2023 at the Honda LPGA Thailand where she finished 67th. The next week she tied for 52nd at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore. Lee’s performance with the flatstick was so poor that she was -17 against the field in Strokes Gained Putting.
Smith insisted they embark upon another six-week ‘Pre-Season’. Afterwards he caddied for Lee in the year’s first major at the Chevron Championship to monitor her progress. “In the fourth round she actually had a really good putting day, so we knew that she was going to come back,” he reflects.
Lee’s confidence began to improve gradually. Three weeks later Lee was runner-up in her title defence of the Founders Cup. But her best result in five women’s majors was a tie for 13th in defence of the US Women’s Open.
With the majors season over, Lee entered a purple patch of form. The 27-year-old won the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio. She was runner-up at the Hana Financial Group Championship in Korea and then returned a month later to win the BMW Ladies Championship. It was a special victory considering it was the first professional title in her parents’ homeland. In addition, Lee had joined the illustrious company of Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb as the only Australians to win 10 LPGA titles.
Lee closed out the year with top-10 results in Riyadh, Florida and Sydney where she was runner-up at the ISPS Handa Australian Open. Apart from two wins, three seconds and eight top-10 results, Lee made the cut in all 21 tournament appearances – just the second time she’s achieved the feat in her career.
And the major reason has been an improvement in her putting. She ranked 31st on the LPGA’s Putts Per Green In Regulation category. Coach Smith says her putting has turned the corner and is optimistic the best is yet to come: “I still think she’s only 85 percent of the way there now.”
Recent Winners:
2022: Cameron Smith
2021: Minjee Lee
2020: Cameron Smith
2019: Hannah Green
2018: Minjee Lee
2017: Marc Leishman
2016: Jason Day
2015: Jason Day
2014: Adam Scott
2013: Adam Scott
Male player of the year: Cameron Smith
Dealing with the weight of expectations was always going to be a challenge for Cameron Smith starting 2023. However the reigning Open champion and one of the faces of LIV Golf dealt with those expectations with the cheerful disposition we’ve come to admire.
As the LIV Golf League launched its second season, Smith also had to contend with controversy (Official World Golf Ranking points), disruptions (a different playing schedule) and distractions (team branding brought about by a name change from Punch GC to Ripper GC).
Entering the Masters, Smith had played just four tournaments, missing the cut in Saudi Arabia and with just a single top-25 result (sixth in LIV Golf Mayakoba). In hindsight, it’s hardly surprising he tied for 34th at Augusta National.
It took a while for Smith’s season to click into gear. The turning point appears to be LIV Golf Adelaide where he thrived off the hometown support and it precipitated a rich vein of form: fourth (LIV Adelaide), seventh (LIV Singapore), second (LIV Tulsa), ninth (PGA Championship), 11th (LIV D.C.), fourth (US Open), 12th (LIV Andalucia).
Smith then silenced the critics with a commanding performance in LIV Golf London at Centurion Club where he held off Marc Leishman and Patrick Reed by a solitary shot. The only sour note was a sloppy finish that saw 4 Aces GC snatch the team title from Ripper GC. It was a perfect tune-up for defence of The Open at Royal Liverpool, but Smith could muster only a tie for 33rd as American Brian Harman claimed the claret jug.
Smith saved his best for LIV Golf Bedminster. He produced an audacious performance at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster that would have impressed its owner. On a brute of a course, Smith lapped the field to be 12-under 201 for a seven-stroke victory margin. In a doubly satisfying celebration, he propelled Ripper GC to its first team title in LIV history as they finished 20-under par and 11 shots clear of Crushers GC and Stinger GC.
Smith’s year tapered off in the following months. In the individual LIV standings, American Talor Gooch overtook him in the final event to clinch the season-long points race. His form at home was mediocre, missing the cut at the Australian PGA and tieing for 17th at the Australian Open.
Now aged 30, the LIV Golf statistics reveal a huge upside for Smith as he enters the prime of his career. He was 41st of 48 players in driving accuracy (hitting just 54.33 percent of fairways) and 33rd in greens in regulation (66.38 percent). That he could rank second in birdies (4.79 per round) is testament to his short game. Smith was first in putting (1.51 putts per round) and eighth in scrambling (65.25 percent).
Rookie player of the year: Kirsten Rudgeley
While many young professionals tend to struggle in the first 18 months out of the amateur ranks, Kirsten Rudgeley has flourished thanks to a great work ethic, imaginative short game and a competitive nature.
The West Australian turned pro in late 2022 and secured a Ladies European Tour (LET) card by tieing for ninth at qualifying school. She began 2023 with impressive performances at The Players Series Victoria (eighth), The Players Series Murray River (eighth) and Vic Open (T-11).
International travel didn’t appear to faze Rudgeley as she accumulated 11 top-15 results in eight countries and on five continents: Australia (4), South Africa, France, America, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Spain.
Her best results were fourth at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and a tie for fourth at the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana. In a sign of her competitiveness, Rudgeley missed just three cuts in 24 tournaments. Despite a dearth of world ranking points on the LET, she has soared to 202nd after beginning the year 602nd.
Recent Winners:
2022: Jed Morgan
2021: Gabriela Ruffels
2020: Stephanie Kyriacou
2019: Min Woo Lee
2018: Karis Davidson
2017: Hannah Green
2016: Su Oh
2015: Minjee Lee
2014: Cameron Smith
2013: Matt Stieger
Amateur player of the year: Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
Having first come to prominence as a 16-year-old winner of the 2018 Australian Girls’ Amateur, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard is now leaving her mark in American collegiate golf. The Perth golfer performed consistently on the US circuit in 2023 at Oklahoma State as a ‘junior’ (third-year student).
Hinson-Tolchard finished in the top-10 at seven of 11 tournaments, highlighted by victory at the Big 12 Women’s Championship in Dallas where she led the Cowgirls to the team title. Those results saw her named ‘Big 12 Player of the Year’ for a second time as well as a First Team All-American.
Hinson-Tolchard also competed in her first major championship by pre-qualifying for the US Women’s Open. She represented Australia at the World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi, tieing for eighth in the individual standings. By December she had risen to 29th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking to be the leading Australian.
Recent Winners:
2022: Harrison Crowe
2021: Louis Dobbelaar
2020: Gabriela Ruffels
2019: Gabriela Ruffels
2018: David Micheluzzi
2017: Dylan Perry
2016: Curtis Luck
2015: Ryan Ruffels
2014: Minjee Lee
2013: Oliver Goss
Junior player of the year: Sarah Hammett
Becoming the first female in more than a decade to win both the NSW Amateur and NSW Junior titles in the same year placed Sarah Hammett on the radar as a player to watch. That was 2022 when she also tied for sixth at the Australian Women’s Classic – Bonville (a Ladies European Tour event).
The 16-year-old from Emerald Lakes Golf Club on Queensland’s Gold Coast continued her development in 2023 with a series of impressive results in junior, open-age amateur and professional events.
At under-18 level, Hammett won the Katherine Kirk Classic for the third time with a five-stroke triumph at Maroochy River on the Sunshine Coast. Then she blitzed the girls field to win the Jack Newton International Junior Classic by 10 shots at Cypress Lakes in the Hunter Valley.
At open-amateur events, Hammett won the South Pacific Women’s Open Classic, finished second at the Queensland Amateur and third at the Keperra Bowl. Against the pros, she was third at the Women’s NSW Open and sixth at the Australian Women’s Classic. In December, Hammett captured national attention by climbing onto the leaderboard at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Sydney where she tied for 18th. She ended the year 110th on the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Recent Winners:
2022: Jeffrey Guan
2021: Jeffrey Guan
2020: Elvis Smylie
2019: Karl Vilips
2018: Karl Vilips
2017: Karl Vilips
2016: Min Woo Lee
2015: Ryan Ruffels
2014: Ryan Ruffels
2013: Su Oh
Senior player of the year: Nadene Gole
In 2023, Nadene Gole achieved a feat that may never be repeated. She won six state senior amateur titles as well as the Australian and New Zealand senior amateur championships while becoming the world’s top-ranked amateur older than 50.
Gole’s journey has been remarkable to say the least. She played professionally for a decade during which the highlight was victory at the 1996 Danish Open on the LET. Nadene married Sam Gole and quit the tour to raise two children, Ben and Sophie. She spent time coaching during a two-decade hiatus from competitive golf before returning to the game in 2019 when she regained her amateur status.
Gole’s triumphant year began last summer when she won the Tasmanian and New Zealand senior amateur titles. She added the NSW senior amateur before venturing to the UK where she was runner-up at the R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship. Upon returning home she claimed the Queensland, South Australian and Victorian senior amateur titles. She then placed fifth in the US Senior Women’s Amateur prior to capturing the Australian and Western Australian senior amateur titles to complete an incredible calendar-year sweep.
In a year when Australians won on the PGA Tour Champions (Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling) and Europe’s Legends Tour (Richard Green, Scott Hend), it was a recanted professional who was our most distinguished senior.
Recent Winners:
2022: Richard Green
2021: Rod Pampling
2020: Rod Pampling
2019: Sue Wooster
2018: Sue Wooster
2017: Sue Wooster
2016: Peter Fowler
2015: Peter Fowler
2014: Peter Fowler
2013: Peter Senior
PGA Associate of the year: Tim Walker
A wire-to-wire triumph in the Victorian PGA Associate Championship separated Tim Walker as the leading associate professional (formerly trainee) in the PGA Membership Pathway Program.
At one of the premier tournaments on the calendar, Walker tore apart Club Tocumwal’s Captains course to win by seven strokes at 14-under par. At two other trainee majors, Walker was sixth in the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach and tied for ninth at the PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga.
The third-year PGA associate at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club in Melbourne was consistent all season with three wins at PGA Associate Matches. Walker was second in the National Averages with an adjusted score of 1.88-under par from 32 rounds.
Recent winners:
2022: Jak Carter
2021: Lachlan Aylen
2020: Elliot Beel
2019: Brayden Petersen
2018: Frazer Droop
2017: Frazer Droop
2016: Brody Martin
2015: Deyen Lawson
2014: Taylor Cooper
2013: Jack Wilson
Coach of the year: Ritchie Smith
The dominance by West Australian golfers in this year’s awards is no coincidence. Instrumental to the success is Ritchie Smith, a longtime state coach who teaches at Royal Fremantle Golf Club.
Smith now focuses upon a stable of talented young players who all possess his non-negotiable, strong work ethic: major winners Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, rising star Min Woo Lee, Jarryd Felton, Hayden Hopewell, Josh Greer, Elvis Smylie and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard.
Apart from a sound knowledge of golf’s fundamentals, Smith has been an early adopter of technological advances in sports science. He constantly seeks input from biomechanists and physiotherapists to better understand an athlete’s movement patterns. As a coach, Smith’s skill is evident from the way he has nurtured an extrovert like Min Woo Lee.
Smith is renowned for an absolute commitment to his players. A year ago when Minjee Lee’s putting deteriorated, he devoted a six-week ‘Pre-Season’ to fix her woes on the greens. When an improvement didn’t eventuate immediately, they spent another six-week ‘Pre-Season’ that ultimately paid dividends for the Player Of The Year in late 2023.
“He’s a golf coach that utilises the expertise around him,” says Golf Australia high-performance director Brad James. “He’s a very honest, upfront coach who is driven by performance. He’s very good at giving constructive but honest feedback.”
Recent winners:
2022: Grant Field
2021: Dominic Azzopardi
2020: Ritchie Smith
2019: Ritchie Smith
2018: Gareth Jones
2017: Ritchie Smith
2016: Dean Kinney
2015: Cameron McCormick
2014: Ritchie Smith
2013: Brad Malone
Superintendent of the year: Craig Walker
A quarter of a century after abandoning an accountancy degree in favour of pursuing a career in turf, Craig Walker’s decision has been vindicated by Devonport Country Club’s transformation into one of Tasmania’s best sporting facilities.
The 46-year-old’s dedication was recognised with the 2023 Excellence in Golf Course Management Award from the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA). He became the first superintendent from a Tasmanian golf club to win the award in its 34-year history.
Born and raised in nearby Ulverstone, Walker arrived at Devonport in 2019 shortly after the golf club merged with the local bowling/croquet club. The new entity had secured $11 million in government funding for a modern clubhouse, three turf bowling greens, two croquet lawns and an eight-rink indoor bowls centre. Meanwhile, Devonport’s golf-course masterplan was progressing under the direction of Graeme Grant to accommodate the new facilities.
Walker has since overseen the installation of a new irrigation system, drainage rectification works, landscaping and improved conditioning on the original Vern Morcom design next to the Mersey River. His environmental management plan included the planting of endemic species and reducing chemical/fungicide usage.
In addition to Devonport [below], Walker’s greenkeeping crew of 10 now maintains the 18-hole Ulverstone course, nine-hole Port Sorell layout and Latrobe bowls club. They also manage a turf-renovation business that services more than 30 facilities in Tasmania’s north-west.
It’s a unique set of circumstances that could encourage more golf clubs to pool their resources. “I can absolutely see this sort of model working in other regional areas,” Walker told Australian Turfgrass Management Journal. “As finances get tighter, sharing resources like we’re doing here is becoming more of an attractive option. We are essentially looking after Ulverstone for not much more than what it would cost for a superintendent, an assistant and an apprentice. They are getting a really good result and the course is continuing to move forward.”
Recent winners:
2022: Lance Knox (Busselton)
2021: Craig Molloy (Cypress Lakes)
2020: Anthony Mills (The Lakes)
2019: Jon Carter (Wanneroo)
2018: Mark O’Sullivan (Roseville)
2017: Phil Soegaard (Lakelands)
2016: Mick McCombe (Maleny)
2015: Simon Bourne (Cottesloe)
2014: Shaun Cross (Byron Bay)
2013: Michael Bradbery (Manly)
Services to golf: Greg Norman
As the ‘Pied Piper’ of Australian golf, Greg Norman brought legions of new fans to the game with his charismatic playing style at home tournaments each summer. He provided hope for Australians that one of our own could defeat the world’s best players abroad and in golf’s majors.
But for all his on-course achievements, Norman’s greatest legacy may well be his role in disrupting the golf landscape. As chief executive officer/commissioner of LIV Golf, Norman has shaken up the golf establishment after the launch of the Saudi-backed league of tournaments. Norman has overseen the fledgling circuit’s dramatic rise to become a bone fide competitor to the hegemony of the PGA Tour.
As a truly international player, Norman had long harboured a desire to transform the top level of professional golf. His 1990s plan of a ‘World Tour’ was scuppered – only for the PGA Tour to introduce a series of ‘World Golf Championships’ played predominantly in America.
For too long the suits in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, have dictated the direction of professional golf. With the backing of corporate America they’ve hoarded the world’s best players onto the PGA Tour. They extended the PGA Tour schedule to the point where continental Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa were left without a window to showcase their marquee tournaments.
As the figurehead of LIV Golf, Norman had a grand vision to reinvigorate the game. He championed the new vehicle to showcase the sport. It was ‘Golf, But Louder’ with 54-hole tournaments, 48-man fields, shotgun starts, spectator-friendly music and the controversial element of team golf.
For his efforts, Norman faced derision and character assassinations for his role in disrupting golf. He was portrayed as a self-centred egotist. Some critics even suggested his place in the World Golf Hall Of Fame should be rescinded. Through it all, Norman has been a confidant for LIV players who took the gamble to link with the start-up amid allegations of ‘sportswashing’.
Norman and LIV Golf have exposed the golf establishment’s restrictive practices towards competition. The Official World Golf Ranking is nothing more than a tool for the PGA Tour to maintain its vice-like grip on world golf.
With the financial clout of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Norman could have raided the PGA Tour for the bulk of its star players with astronomical financial deals. Knowing this would rip the heart out of the sport, he forged a minimalist path that would disrupt – but not destroy – the fabric of the game.
LIV Golf has given golf back to the players. They have a schedule that’s family friendly. Captains have been given equity and team ownership. Meanwhile, those players who expressed loyalty to the PGA Tour have benefitted financially through increased tournament purses and promotional funds (Player Impact Program). Golf fans have benefitted, too, especially in countries like Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Spain where they have been starved of top-level golf in the flesh.
Norman may never get the credit he deserves. But he has certainly helped to evolve and decentralise golf in a manner that probably never would’ve occurred.
A disruptor. A visionary. A legend.
Recent winners:
2022: Sandy Jamieson
2021: David Greenhill
2020: Karrie Webb
2019: Peter McMaugh
2018: Jarrod Lyle
2017: David Cherry AM
2016: Duncan Andrews
2015: John Hopkins
2014: Warren Sevil
2013: Bob Tuohy
