Excitement is building around the Australian camp as golf’s Olympic return looms large. With less than three days until golf’s 112-year hiatus ends, here’s a look at the four players carrying the Aussie flag at Rio:
SCOTT HEND
Age: 42
Home: Florida, Brisbane
Turned pro: 1997
Five key recent results:
Champion 2016 Queen’s Cup (Asian Tour)
Champion 2016 True Thailand Classic (European Tour)
15th 2016 European PGA Championship
8th 2016 Dubai Desert Classic (European Tour)
Champion 2015 Macau Open (Asian Tour)
Brief bio:
Hend, who’ll turn 43 during the Olympics, has been one of the great travellers in Australian professional ranks. But more, he’s been a prolific winner through a stellar career with 14 pro victories in nine countries on the Australasian, Asian and European tours.
Now based in Florida, Hend remains one of the world’s longest hitters and, in 2005, during his second of two seasons on the US PGA Tour, became the first foreign-born player to be ranked No.1 in driving distance.
The Queenslander, born in Townsville, has made a great habit of winning in the past couple of seasons, particularly in Asia where he was seven times since 2013, including twice already this season en route to his highest career world ranking.
MARCUS FRASER
Age: 37
Home: Melbourne
Turned pro: 2002
Five key recent results:
Champion 2016 Maybank Championship Malaysia (European Tour)
2nd 2016 Panasonic Open Japan
5th 2015 British Masters (European Tour)
3rd 2015 Indian Open (Asian Tour)
20th 2015 The Open Championship
Brief bio:
Fraser not only keeps on keeping on, he’s getting better as he does it. The almost permanent smile on the larrikin from Corowa belies the competitive fire that he has ridden to six professional victories in all corners of the globe, including three on the European Tour.
Having fought back from a career-threatening neck injury in 2010, Fraser has continued his prized knack of cashing in when in contention, including victory in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia earlier this year. The win vaulted him to the top of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, a lofty perch he has held since.
Fraser, who will turn 38 before the Games, has a world of top-level experience having played in 10 major championships and 10 WGC events and has become one of the most consistent pros of his generation.
MINJEE LEE
Age: 20
Home: Perth
Turned pro: 2014
Five key recent results:
Champion 2016 LOTTE Championship
Champion 2015 Kingsmill Classic
7th 2015 CME Group LPGA Tour Championship
9th 2015 Ricoh Women’s British Open
6th 2016 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic
Brief bio:
Rapidly becoming one of world golf’s hottest properties, Lee has become a model of consistency on the LPGA Tour in just her second season, missing just one cut to date in 2016 and winning twice in just 18 months on the world’s biggest stage.
A former world No.1 amateur, Lee graduated to pro ranks after a glittering string of results. The 2012 US girls’ junior champion, the Perth ace won the Australian Amateur in 2013 and defended the title in 2014, the same year she won the Oates Victorian Open against the pros of the ALPG Tour as an amateur.
Perhaps the highlight of her junior days was winning the World Amateur Team Championship alongside Su Oh (and Shelly Shin) in 2014, the week before she turned pro and finished T16 in the year’s fifth major, the Evian Championship. Three months later, she won medallist honours at the LPGA Tour’s Q-school and has not looked back since.
SU OH
Age: 20
Home: Melbourne
Turned pro: 2014
Five key recent results:
Champion 2015 RACV Australian Ladies Masters
2nd 2016 Kingsmill Championship
8th 2016 Women’s US PGA Championship
14th 2016 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open
2nd 2015 Oates Victorian Open
Brief bio:
Oh, a naturalised Australian who arrived in Victoria aged eight from Korea, is rapidly beginning to fulfil the potential good judges have tagged her with for years. In the midst of a breakout rookie season on the LPGA Tour, Oh has served notice she’ll be a future force on the world’s biggest stage.
Oh didn’t win an LPGA Tour card at her first attempt in 2014, but soon made her professional mark against some of the world’s leading pros to win the LET co-sanctioned Australian Ladies Masters in 2015. She played between Europe and the Symetra Tour in 2015, then won partial rights to the main US tour at Q-school at year’s end and has made the most of that opportunity since.
A former world No.1 amateur, Oh turned a series of strong results through April and May into a full-time card when she was runner-up at the Kingsmill Classic, then backed it up with a bold 8th at the year’s second major, the Women’s US PGA Championship.
The Olympic team is a reunion of sorts with long-time friend Minjee Lee with whom she won the World Amateur Team Championship (also with Shelly Shin) for Australia in 2014.