Min Woo Lee has won the 87th Australian PGA Championship with an entertaining performance at Royal Queensland Golf Club. The supremely talented 25-year-old from Perth fought off a spirited challenge by Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino for a three-shot victory. Lee separated himself from his challengers at the par 5, 9th hole where he holed out a lengthy pitch shot for a stunning eagle. The co-sanctioned event is Lee’s third title success on the DP World Tour.
Lee began the final round in pursuit of the Joe Kirwood Cup with a three-shot lead over Hoshino. The pair were locked at the top of the leaderboard after just two holes with Lee’s opening bogey, par start bested by Hoshino’s birdie, birdie performance. Lee birdied the 4th hole to take a slender one-shot lead. The margin doubled at the next hole when Hoshino made a bogey at the par 4. From that point, Lee took control posting back-to-back birdies at the 6th and 7th holes before ending his outward nine holes with the dramatic hole-out eagle at the 9th hole. The world No. 45 went through the turn with a 4-under 32. With three bogeys and two birdies coming home, Lee signed for a final round 3-under 68. His 20-under par total was two shots off the 72-hole tournament record of 22-under set by Jed Morgan (2022) and Nick O’Hern & Peter Lonard (2006). Lee won the Asia Tour’s SJM Macao Open in October. His previous win on the DP World Tour came at the 2021 Scottish Open. Lee will bank the AUD$340,000 winner's cheque at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Hoshino, who owns six wins on the Japan Tour, was hoping for his maiden DP World Tour title. The 27-year-old claimed outright second place with a final round 3-under 68 to get to 17-under.
Marc Leishman finished solo third after firing a sizzling 7-under 64 on Sunday. The 40-year-old from Warrnambool enjoyed a bogey-free final round en route to his 16-under tally.
Curtis Luck from Western Australian carded a 2-under 69 to get to 15-under for fourth place. The 2016 US Amateur champion produced four unanswered birdies on the back nine to bolt inside the top five.
Veteran tour player Adam Scott was looking for his third Australian PGA win. The Queenslander, who last won the event in 2019 at Royal Pines, opened the event in fine form with rounds of 66 and 65. Scott’s attempt to win the event aged 43 ended after weekend rounds of 71 and 70. His 12-under total was good enough for sixth place.
Defending champion Cameron Smith, who boasts three Australian PGA titles, made an emotional exit from the event missing the cut after rounds of 73 and 78. The pre-tournament draw card’s halfway score finished better than just seven players out of the 156-man field.
FINAL RESULTS
Australian PGA Championship
1. Min Woo Lee -20
2. Rikuya Hoshino -17
3. Marc Leishman -16
4. Curtis Luck -15
5. Joaquin Niemann -13
6. Adam Scott -12
Photo credit: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
