By Tony Webeck

Queensland’s Rod Pampling has dusted off the rust to log his first top-10 finish of the Champions Tour season at the Cologuard Classic in Arizona.

Outside the top 25 in each of his first two starts for 2022, Pampling’s bogey-free five-under 67 set him on a path to contend for a second Champions Tour title inside 12 months but was unable to keep pace with Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez over the final two rounds.

Jimenez recorded a hole-in-one in both his first and third rounds to record a four-stroke win, Pampling nine shots back of the winner in a share of sixth place to be the best performed Aussie on tour this week.

Currently second on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, Andrew Dodt was the top Australian at the Royal’s Cup on the Asian Tour, a closing 68 in Thailand earning the Queenslander a share of 23rd position, one shot clear of New South Welshman Travis Smyth (69) who was tied for 32nd.

It was a disappointing title defence for Matt Jones at The Honda Classic as he failed to progress to the weekend while after shooting 64 in round one Blake Windred faded to finish tied for 57th at the Challenge Tour’s Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.

Results

PGA TOUR The Honda Classic PGA National (Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Winner Sepp Straka        71-64-69-66—270           $US1.44m T55        Brett Drewitt     74-68-75-68—285           $18,160 MC        Lucas Herbert    72-71—143 MC        Matt Jones         73-74—147

Asian Tour Royal’s Cup Grand Prix Golf Club, Kanchanaburi, Thailand Winner Chan Shih-chang             64-66-67-68—265           $US72,000 T23        Andrew Dodt     73-66-70-68—277           $3,648 T32        Travis Smyth      70-70-69-69—278           $2,920 MC        Ben Campbell    71-71—14 MC        Jake Higginbottom          73-70—143 MC        Todd Sinnott      71-73—144 MC        Cory Crawford  73-71—144 MC        Kevin Yuan         73-71—144 MC        Josh Younger     72-73—145 MC        Scott Strange     73-73—146 MC        Daniel Fox          74-72—146 MC        Scott Hend         73-74—147 MC        Ben Eccles          75-72—147 MC        Will Heffernan  77-75—152

Challenge Tour Jonsson Workwear Open Durban Country Club, Durban, South Africa Winner JC Ritchie            61-63-65-71—260           €35,369 T57        Blake Windred  64-73-72-71—280           €1,048 MC        Daniel Hillier      69-71—140

Champions Tour Cologuard Classic Omni Tucson National, Tucson, Arizona Winner Miguel Ángel Jiménez    66-67-65—198 T6          Rod Pampling    67-70-70—207 T20        Steven Alker      70-69-72—211 T29        Stuart Appleby  70-73-70—213 T43        Stephen Leaney 71-72-73—216 T54        Robert Allenby  74-72-73—219 T64        John Senden      75-75-71—221