Nicholas Smits Wins Greg Norman Junior Masters

Congratulations to Nicholas Smits who has added another prestigous trophy to his collection after recently winning the under 17 years division at the Greg Norman Junior Masters played at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Course. Nick played very well to shoot scores of 70, 68, 74, 70 and was third overall in the event.

Nicholas was a product of the Gary Edwin Golf Academy in Singapore, before his coach and Head Instructor Chris Marriott made arrangements for Nicholas to pursue his dream of professional golf by relocating him and his training to Australia's Gold Coast where he trains under the watchful eye of "The Guru" Gary Edwin himself. It was a big move for the teenager but proving to be well worth it after recording some fantastic results in recent times.

Great effort Nick!

Peter Senior Claims 2009 Australian PGA Seniors Championship

Peter Senior has continued his fine run of form, claiming the Fiducian Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club. Pete finished the 54-hole tournament at 9-under par and nine shots ahead of Michael Harwood and Larry Canning.

From the start of the day it seemed to be a two-man race with Michael Harwood the only player within seven shots of the lead. Senior quickly extended his lead as Harwood dropped four shots in the first nine holes.

Senior's final round of even par was never going to be headed on a day where strong wind and rain inhibited scoring. His 72 was the second best of the day, only to be outdone by Larry Canning (71).

Congratulations Pete!

Taylor Cooper Ahead of His Time

17yr old Gary Edwin Golf student Taylor Cooper has become the youngest player in Australia to get a tour card finishing 24th at final stage of qualifying school at Sandhust golf club in Melbourne. It was a great achievement to get through both stages in his first attempt. Taylor has just completed his final year at High School and will now embark on a professional golf career. Taylor has been part of the Junior programme at the Glades since he was 13 yrs old and trains under the guidance of Senior Instructor Peter Krawitz. The Singapore Academy wishes to congratulate both Taylor and the coaching team of Gary Edwin Golf Australia on a remarkable achievement!

Edgar Storms to Victory at SICC Junior Invitational

14yr old Edgar Oh has ended a terrific year of golf by winning the SICC Junior Invitational Boys 'B' Division Title. Edgar shot a final round of 1-under par 71 around SICC's Island Course, including 4 birdies on the back nine. This victory capped off an impressive year for the young Sports School student, which included victories at the Singapore National Junior Championship, the HSBC Youth Challenge, the National Inter-School Team Championship and the NSRCC Junior Open.

Fellow Academy junior and National Inter-School Champion Marc Ong was 4 shots back in 5th place, with 1st round leader Nicholas Lim a further 2 shots behind in 9th place.

Our congratulations also go to Academy student Cathleen Wong who had a hole-in-one on the 15th hole during the final round of the Championship!

Right-Siders Dominate Wynnum Pro-Am

Australia's richest ever one day Pro-Am in the history of the PGA was played at Wynnum Golf Club and our right-sided tour players dominated the leaderboard, occupying the top 3 places.

Andrew Bonhomme, who trains under Gary Edwin Golf Senior Instructor Kevin Healey, claimed victory with a sensational 8-under par 62 that included 4 birdies and two eagles.

Runner-up was Rod Pampling with a 63. Pampling, coming off a great finish at Hyatt Coolum on Sunday, put together 8 birdies and a lone bogey. Huge crowds followed Pampling's marquee group(pictured above)which included 1991 British Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch and cricket legend Allan Border.

Scott Barr also had a fine result, shooting 64 to finish in a tie for 3rd with Wayne Perske. Other results were: Peter Senior 68, Stuart Bouvier 68,

Nicholas Leads SICC Jnr Invitational

Nicholas Lim leads the SICC Jnr Invitational boys 'B' division by 3 shots after a terrific 1st round of 2-under par 70. Nicholas is looking to add a 3rd major junior tournament trophy to his collection in 2009, after earlier victories in the HSBC Youth Challenge and the NSRCC Junior Open.

Fellow Academy student Edgar Oh is one of many who are positioned 3 shots behind Nicholas on 1-over par with 2 rounds to play.

Brilliant Finish for Pampling at PGA Championship

Rod Pampling has had a brilliant finish to the Australian PGA Championship and to his 2009 tournament season with birdies on 6 of his last 7 holes to card a final round 65. Pampling was even after the front nine holes before storming home with birdies on 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. He parred the 17th hole then capped off his round with yet another birdie on Hyatt Coolum's difficult par 4 18th hole.

His round of 6-under par was the lowest score in the field on the final day and this moved Rod up into a tie for 7th place with fellow Aussies and PGA Tour players Stuart Appleby and Geoff Ogilvy. That meant two consecutive top 10's for Pampling after also finishing in a tie for 7th at last weeks Australian Open.

Scott Barr shot an even par final round of 71 to end his week at the PGA Championship in a tie for 40th with American drawcard John Daly.

Youth Olympic Games Golf Clinic

A 5-day Friendship Camp for the Youth Olympic Games was held in Singapore this week. The Singapore Sports School played host to around 300 Youth Olympians who were all given a cultural experience and had the opportunity to learn 2 sports that they have not previously experienced. Golf was one of ten sports selected for the Friendship Camp and The Gary Edwin Golf Academy was appointed to conduct 2 golf clinics for 72 young athletes chosen by National Olympic Committees from across the globe.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the young athletes to be introduced to Golf, especially those hailing from countries that don't even have a golf course such as in parts of Africa.

T7 for Pampling at Australian Open

Rod Pampling has ended his week at the Australian Open in a tie for 7th on 4-under par 284.

After an extremely difficult week at the New South Wales GC where strong winds caused havoc during the early rounds, Pampling put together a final round charge up the leaderboard. Rod birdied the 1st, 8th and 10th holes before holing out for eagle on the 12th to get it to 5-under for the day and 6-under for the championship. Unfortunately a double bogey on the par 3 17th hole dropped Rod out of what would have been a top 3 finish.

Congratulations to the eventual champion Adam Scott who claimed his first major professional victory in Australia, defeating fellow Aussie Stuart Appleby by 5 shots.

Senior Rallies to Win Q-School

Peter Senior has rallied from 5 shots behind to win the US Champions Tour Q-School by 3 shots. It was a terrific win for Senior who finished with a four-day total of 17-under 266 on the Champions Course, the lowest score in a 72-hole q-school since Bob Gilder's winning 19-under total on the Eagle Pines course at Walt Disney World in 2000.

Senior shook off a double-bogey 7 at the par-5 9th hole, making five birdies over his final nine holes to triumph by three strokes over Joe Ozaki, Steve Haskins and Ronnie Black.

When Senior reached the 18th hole, he found himself tied for the lead with American Ronnie Black. He went on to seal the victory by rifling a 4-iron shot to eight feet and holing the birdie putt.

Senior becomes the first Australian to earn medalist honors at the Champions Tour's National Qualifying Tournament.

Our congratulations go out to Pete on a sensational achievement!

Peter Senior Edges Closer to Champions Tour Card

Peter Senior is a step closer to having full status on the US Champions Tour for 2010 after a third round 68. Pete is now in a tie for 3rd place with one round remaining at final qualifying. Senior reeled off 4 consecutive birdies from the 8th through to the 11th. An unfortunate bogey on the par 5 17th hole dropped him out of second place. The Singapore Academy wishes Pete all the very best for the final round!

Quek 1-under in Cambodian Open

Quincy Quek shot 1-under par 71 in his opening round of the US$300,000 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open. He is four shots off the early pace set by Australia's David Gleeson.

Senior Moves Closer to Q-School Lead

Peter Senior is just two shots off the lead after 36 holes in the Champions Tour Q-School final stage. Senior made 5 birdies and an eagle for a round of 65 to be at 9-under in a tie for 2nd behind American Steve Haskins.

Peter Senior off to a Good Start in Scottsdale

Peter Senior has shot a 3-under par 68 in his first round of Champions Tour final stage qualifying to be 3 strokes off the lead.

After 72 holes, the top-5 finishers earn fully-exempt status for the 2010 season, while the next seven players will be conditionally exempt. In addition, the top-30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events on the Champions Tour next year.

Pampling T14 in Defence of Masters Title

Rod Pampling has finished 4-under par in a tie for 14th place in defence of the Masters Title which he won in 2008. Pampling played in front of record crowds through the first two rounds at Kingston Heath as he was paired with world no.1 Tiger Woods. Pampling was 3-under through the 36 holes he played with Woods, but it was to be Tiger's week as he cruised to 14-under and a 2-shot victory in what was his first win on Australian soil.

Quincy T13 in Vietnam

Quincy Quek has finished at 5-under and in a tie for 13th place in the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam. Quincy ended his tournament with a 2-under round of 70. He was charging his way up the leaderboard after a terrific 4-under par 32 on the front nine. Quincy made another two birdies on the back nine, but his momentum was ruined by 4 dropped shots late in the final round.

Quincy will tee it up this coming week in the Asian Tour's Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open.

Quek Still in the Hunt

Quincy Quek remains in contention at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam in what is the season-ending Tour Championship. Quek shot a 69 to go with his first round 68 and now sits on 7-under par for the tournament and in 4th position behind Thailand's Namchok Tantipokhakul.

Quincy Trails by One Shot in Vietnam

Quincy Quek has opened with a 4-under par round of 68 in the season-ending Tour Championship on the Mercedes-Benz Tour. Being played at the King's Island Golf Club in Hanoi, Quek fired 5 birdies against one bogey to trail the leading pack of four Thai golfers by one shot. Amongst those players sitting one shot ahead of Quincy is current Order of Merit leader Namchok Tantipokhakul.

Rod Defends at Kingston Heath

Rod Pampling will attempt to defend his Australian Masters title this week at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne and has been drawn with world no.1 Tiger Woods for the first two rounds. Several other leading Australian players such as Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley will all be trying to steal the title away from Pampling. Best of luck Pamps!

Quincy Quek to play Tour Championship

Quincy Quek will tee it up at this week's Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam, where the Asean PGA Tour's top 60 players on the 2009 Order of Merit will compete for the
USD$80,000 prizemoney. Quincy missed out on playing the events at the start of the season as he was still an amateur, but since turning Pro he's managed to make the cut in all four events and is currently 31st on the OOM.

Pampling 1-under at HSBC Champions Event

Rod Pampling has come off a week in Singapore plagued with injury to finish T40th at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai. Pampling ended the tournament tied with Sweden's Henrik Stenson at 1-under par. Rod earnt himself a place in the limited field of winners thanks to his Australian Masters victory. He will now head home to Australia to defend his title at the JBWere Australian Masters which will be played at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne.

Peter Senior through to Champions Tour Final Stage

Peter Senior has finished first stage qualifying with a round of 67 moving him into the final stage of the lucrative US PGA Champions Tour qualifying school. Final qualifying is at the TPC at Scottsdale in Arizona. Peter will stay on the course this week in the leadup to qualifying. Well done Pete and all the best for the final stage!

Right Siders all make Cut at Barclays Singapore Open

Rod Pampling, Scott Barr and Daniel Vancsik have all made the halfway cut at the weather-beaten Barclays Singapore Open.

Pampling miraculously got through the first two rounds in 1-under par after falling down mid-way through the first round and badly spraining his right ankle. It appeared that Pampling would not be able to continue, but after receiving some medical attention Rod bravely limped around Serapong and closed out his first round with a one over par 72. The tournament physio strapped Rod's ankle up for the second round and he soldiered on, often grimacing with pain after each shot, but came back with a most impressive and inspiring round of 69.

Scott Barr has played very solid golf through the first two rounds, carding a pair of 71's to be level par for the tournament. Daniel Vancsik sits just one shot ahead of Barr after round of 70 and 71.

Rod Pampling will go into the third round paired with the world's no.2 ranked player, Phil Mickelson.

Rebecca Flood Gets Futures Tour Card

Gary Edwin Golf Australia student Rebecca Flood has finished 15th in the 5 Round Futures Tour qualifying school in Florida and will be fully exempt to play next year in the US. Her first three rounds of 69 72 and 70 all but assured her of exempt status for 2010. This was Rebecca's first trip to the USA as she was unable to attend the first stage of LPGA qualifying due to commitments with the Australian team but will go to the Ladies European Tour school instead. Well done Rebecca and all the best for 2010!!

Peter Senior Defeated in Playoff

Peter Senior has come agonizingly clost to winning the Handa Australian Seniors Open, losing in a playoff to Australia's Mike Harwood.

Peter Senior led by four shots overnight and quickly extended that to five shots over playing partners Michael Clayton and Michael Harwood heading into the back nine.

A bogey at the11th and 15th plus a double bogey at 14 by Senior meant the three players were all tied on five-under-par with three holes of regulation play. Senior made birdie to again take the outright lead but could only manage par on the final hole and watched as both Harwood and Clayton rolled in birdies to force the Senior Open Championship into a sudden death play-off.

On the first play-off hole, both Senior and Clayton narrowly missed their birdie chances, before Harwood holed a 6-foot birdie putt to secure the National Senior Open title.

Juniors Perform Well at Singapore Amateur

Three of our Academies most promising young juniors have recorded commendable results at the Singapore Open Amateur Championship against a strong international field of much older and more experienced competitors.



16yr old Nicholas Smits put in a great performance finishing 7th with rounds of 70, 74, 68, 74 for a 2-under total which was just 5 shots behind winner Rashid Khan of India. The 14yr old pairing of Marc Ong and Edgar Oh not only made the halfway cut but ended their tournament in a tie for 27th place on +12. These three golfers have dominated their age divisions during competition in recent years and have a very bright future ahead!

Nicholas Smits Trails By One

The first round of the Singapore Open Amateur Championship got underway today at Orchid Country Club. 16yr old Gary Edwin Golf student Nicholas Smits closed out his first round with three birdies in the last four holes to shoot a fine 2-under par round of 70. Nicholas is just one shot from the lead being held by a group of three players that includes the defending champion Vasin Sripattranusorn from Thailand.

Edgar Oh who is the current Singapore Junior Open Champion and another of our Academies promising young hopefuls is also in a good position after day one, shooting a commendable round of 73.

Senior Wins at The Willows

Peter Senior has won the North Queensland Masters at the Willows Golf Resort. Senior, the legend of Australian golf, romped home to victory by four strokes with rounds of 66, 67. Senior was on fire early in the final round with four birdies in the first five holes that helped open up an unassailable lead in the championship. "I hit the two par fives (2nd and 5th holes) in two, and getting to four under so quickly set me up for the day" Senior said.

Pete will now make his way across to Perth for the Handa Australian Seniors Open. This will be his first official tournament on the Legends Tour and will tee off as one of the favourites to claim the title.

Gavin Coles 3 behind in Miami

Gavin Coles has fired rounds of 70, 69 and 68 to be positioned 10th going into the final day of the Miccosukee Championship, Miami Florida. Gavin trails co-leader and fellow Australian Andrew Buckle by 3 strokes. Gavin is currently in 31st spot on the Nationwide Tour money list, with the top 25 gaining a full PGA Tour card for the 2010 season.

Quincy T9th at Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia

Rookie professional Quincy Quek has closed out his week with a top 10 finish at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia with a 2-under par round of 70. Quek's 4 round total of 5-under 283 has him in 9th place.

This is a nice lead-up to next weeks US$1 million Iskandar Johor Open where Quincy will tee it up alongside a star-studded field that includes Retief Goosen and KJ Choi. The tournament is being played at the Royal Johor Golf Club, Malaysia. Quincy has played well around this course before, with a runner-up finish in the 2007 Royal Johor Invitational Amateur.

Marc Ong 3rd at rain-shortened Warren Amateur Open

Marc Ong, one of Singapore's promising young junior golfers has finished just 2 shots behind in 3rd place after 2 rounds of 75 at the Warren Amateur Open. It was a great result against much older and more experienced competitors on a very difficult golf course. It was however a disappointing end to the week as the 3rd and final round was cancelled due to bad weather. Marc was drawn to play in the championship group on the final day together with the current National Amateur Champion Jonathan Leong and National squad member Johnson Poh. The Amateur title was awarded to former Gary Edwin Golf Academy student Jonathan Leong after defeating Johnson in a playoff.

Nicholas Smits Wins at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads

Nicholas Smits shot a fine round of 71 this week to win the A Grade Gross in the Junior Classic Championship at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club.

Nic began his training at the Singapore Academy under the guidance of Chris Marriott and is now based at All Saints Anglican School on the Gold Coast. Nic has put in a great amount of effort since making the move to Australia and has recorded many commendable tournament victories.

Nic has been most fortunate during his time on the Gold Coast to train under the watchful eye of the Guru, Gary Edwin himself.

Nicholas will return to the Singapore Academy this weekend where he begins his preparation for the Singapore Open Amateur Championship being held at Orchid Country Club. Nic will return to OCC with fond memories after winning the Orchid Junior Invitational in 2006.

Solid Start for Quek in Mercedes-Benz Masters

Quincy Quek has fired a solid opening round of 69 in the Mercedes-Benz Masters being held at the Emeralda Golf and Country Club, Indonesia. Quek is currently in 3rd position, trailing first round leader Kwanchai Tannin of Thailand who shot 66.

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Pampling just one behind at Turning Stone

Rod Pampling shot a terrific round of 65 in the 3^rd round of the PGA Tour’s Turning Stone Resort Championship held in Verona, New York. Rod fired off seven birdies and no bogeys and is now heading into the final round just one shot from the lead at 13 under par.

Pampling admitted the improvement in conditions after two days of strong wind and rain had helped.

"I could actually swing away out there instead of trying to muscle through all the rain jackets et cetera and actually had nice temperatures as well, so it definitely helped."

"I've been driving well, hitting a lot of good iron shots and making a lot of nice putts. In the first two days I guess I just had a few little bogeys and a double early, but today was nice. I didn't really get into any trouble."

"I had a bit of trouble on 17 and made a good putt there to save par, but pretty much the whole day was really solid."

Rod is now in a great position to claim the USD$1,080,00 winners cheque and a 3^rd PGA Tour victory. Good luck Pamps!

Gary Edwin, the Right Sided Swing

It is one thing to gain a reputation as a coach by having a prodigy land on your doorstep. It is another to do so by taking a player wallowing in the anonymity of pro-am land and help him become a player capable of competing on the world stage. To my way of thinking, that was what made (and makes) Edwin unique.

Of course, the “formulaic” swing idiosyncrasies that many Edwin coached players brought to the PGA Tour in the late 1990’s raised a few eyebrows. At first they were laughed off, like someone passing the curious three legged man at a freak show and allowing themselves a surreptitious glance and snide snigger. However, the laughing soon gained a slightly nervous, if not indignant tone as a number of unheralded swings started turning up on top of the leader board.

Then the analysis began. “You can only swing that way if you’ve got forearms like a grave digger”, was the argument when Lonard was at his ascendant best. Then Paul Gow started winning and shooting 60 with arms that knew only a loose relationship with muscularity. The original hypothesis was looking shaky. Worse was yet to come for the nay-sayers, for when an un-athletic, thirty-ish Gavin Coles rose from his job in a rural pet food factory and worked his way onto the US Tour there existed a model that no-one could pigeon hole. Too small, too short,not strong. He certainly couldn’t swing it the Edwin way, could he?

Should a coach be judged in relation to what and how they teach, or of whom? Our celebrity obsessed world tends to value the latter, but regardless of which school of thought takes precedence, Edwin qualifies for recognition in both respects. His has been a life long search for substance over style, and, if validation has finally arrived, it’s hard to support any conclusion other than that it is well earned.

Grant Dodd

Between 1993 and 2004, Grant Dodd played on the PGA Tours of Australasia, Europe and Asia, winning the Slovenian Open on the European Challenge Tour in 1999. A writer for Australian Golf Digest since 2003, he is also a member of the Channel Ten golf commentary team.