[Photo: Travis Hayto/PGA of Australia]
Connor McKinney signed off with an exciting four-hole stretch during an impressive wire-to-wire victory at the Webex Players Series Perth, hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee.
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Late on Saturday, Scotland-born West Australian, McKinney, erased a three-shot gap with a hole-in-one followed by a birdie. He resumed on Sunday with a birdie at the first and an eagle at the par-5 second.
Across those four holes he went six-under, building a five-shot advantage at 18-under-par. That lead grew as the day progressed.
Playing partner Andrew “Beef” Johnston faltered while the 23-year-old McKinney pressed on, adding birdies at five, six and eight. At its widest, the lead reached eight shots midway through the back nine. Curtis Luck (67), Kirsten Rudgeley (68) and Abbie Teasdale (70) made small inroads, and McKinney dropped three shots late at 14, 17 and 18, reducing the final winning margin to four.
Already a winner on Scotland’s Tartan Pro Tour, McKinney viewed the week as a launchpad into his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
“It just gives me of confidence heading to Bahrain in a few weeks and looking forward to get going over there,” said McKinney. “It definitely hasn’t (sunk in) yet. It’s just happened. To see all the boys and my dad and my brothers and stuff, all run onto the green there and celebrate with me there, it’s pretty special. It’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time, but to actually do it at home with everyone here is awesome.”
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McKinney, the 2022 Australian Amateur and St Andrews Links Trophy champion, had endured 252 holes at DP World Tour Qualifying School to earn a 2026 card.
With Johnston chasing a long-awaited return to the winner’s circle and Luck and Rudgeley threatening from behind, McKinney’s 40-foot eagle at No.2 effectively extinguished the contest.
“When you roll in a 40-footer on the second hole of the day, you’re like, okay, I could do something good today,” said McKinney. “I knew there was a gap walking down 11. I’d played a lot of good golf. My goal at the start of the day was just to extend the lead and I’d done that in the end. I know (the lead) was considerably larger, but it was fine. I just struggled on that back nine all week for the wind and just couldn’t quite get it right, but pieced it together and had a pretty solid run.”
Johnston’s putting woes lingered, delaying a first win in a decade. Luck surged with four back-nine birdies to share second with Rudgeley and Teasdale, sealing his third top-10 of the season.
Elsewhere, the Webex Junior Players Series delivered a finish of rare drama. Kortni Houston (73) holed a 7-iron from 155 metres for albatross at the par-5 18th to edge Heejoo Cho (73) by one.
In the Webex All Abilities Players Series, only a single stroke separated the top two, with defending champion Steve Alderson repeating his victory over Lochie Smith, while George Vassiliadis finished third.
