Australian internationals have completed a stellar week, which has seen two tournament victories and a long-awaited bounce back to form from Victorian star Geoff Ogilvy.
Veteran Rod Pampling capitalised on an opening round 63 to beat Kelly Kraft by two shots and take out the Webb.Com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro Am in Greer, in South Carolina, recording his first victory since the 2008 Australian Masters.
The win means the Queenslander jumps to eighth on the money list and is well positioned for a return to the PGA Tour in 2016.
Another Queenslander, Bronson La’Cassie, tied for fourth.
Meanwhile, Adam Bland snared the Japan PGA Championship in Saitama to win his first event on the Japan Golf Tour and banks his biggest ever paycheque.
Bland, 32, set the running in the second round and clung to the lead to the finish, winning by three shots from Korean Sang-hee Lee.
While he made a nervous finish with bogeys at the final two holes, Bland still managed to take the title comfortably.
The left-hander has two Canadian Tour victories and was runner-up in the Mexico Open on the Web.Com Tour but this title will secure him a spot in Japan in only his second season on the circuit there.
He pockets prize money of $A300,000 and exempt status for two years.
In China South Australians David Lutterus and Peter Cooke finished third at the PGA China Tour’s Eternal Courtyard Open at the St Andrews Golf Club in Zhengzhou.
It was the best finish for the duo on the China circuit. The event was won by Chinese Taipei’s Shih Chang Chan.
Victorian Jason Norris was well placed to win the Caltex Maekyung Open in South Korea before fading in the last round to allow local star Kyongjun Moon take the win two shots. Norris, New Zealanders Gareth Paddison and Ryan Fox and Korean Dohoon Kim all finished in a share of second.
Moon trailed Norris by two shots heading into the final round and slipped further back when the Australian birdied the first hole. But then followed a sudden turnaround with the Korean making birdies at the second and third and Norris dropping shots at both holes. Moon clung to the lead from then on.
On the US PGA Tour Geoff Ogilvy showed the spark which has been missing for the past 18 months as he finished in a tie for seventh at the lucrative Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The tournament was won by a rampaging world No.1 Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman unshackled himself from his rivals to breeze to a seven shot victory – 21 under the card, which included a third round course record 61.
McIlroy became the first two-times winner of the tournament with victory over Webb Simpson and Patrick Rogers and shattered the aggregate record by five shots.
Of the other Australians, Steve Alker and Matt Jones finished the best in a tie for 28th with Steven Bowditch (47th) ahead of Aaron Baddeley (T55th).
Adam Scott mixed the cut along with Victorians Robert Allenby, Cameron Percy and Jarrod Lyle.
By: Robert Grant