By Tony Webeck

Min Woo Lee announced himself to America and Cam Davis kick-started his PGA TOUR season as the Aussie pair finished tied for sixth at THE PLAYERS Championship in Florida, while Wade Ormsby logged his fourth Asian Tour win. Lee and Davis teed off in Sunday’s final round with aspirations of a life-altering victory but went down swinging in trying to reel in the now No.1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler. Two back on the first tee and alongside Scheffler in the final group, Lee made an early statement with a birdie at the first to narrow the margin to just one. A Scheffler bogey on three saw Lee move to the fourth tee – the 58th hole of the championship – tied for the lead, but it would prove short-lived. A missed fairway that nestled into the deep rough and an approach shot that spun back off the green into the water led to a triple bogey at the fourth hole, all but ending Lee’s championship hopes. As Scheffler made five straight birdies around the turn, Lee made bogey on eight and double bogey at the par-5 11th. He enhanced his finishing position with birdies at both 16 and 17 before making bogey on the 18th hole for the fourth day straight and a round of four-over 76. Needing to finish outright fourth to earn Special Temporary Membership of the PGA TOUR, the 24-year-old West Australian remained philosophical about his week in the spotlight at the PGA TOUR’s flagship event. “I’ve been in final groups quite a lot lately, and to be on the PGA TOUR in one of the biggest PGA TOUR tournaments, it’s awesome,” said Lee, who had not previously finished top-25 in a solely PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. “If I just keep putting myself in those positions, hopefully I can get a Sunday done. I’m really proud. Sundays are just tough. “It’s one of those things where it’s Sunday and you just make a couple bad decisions and it all kind of falls down. But I hung in there pretty well. “I didn’t have it all today. It’s funny how yesterday I felt like I had the best swing in the world, and then today I just felt like nothing could go right. “I’m pretty proud of the result and I think it will take me a long way. It could have been a lot worse, that’s for sure. “It wasn’t easy.” It was an equally significant result for Davis. The 28-year-old’s season has been disrupted by illness to date but he proved that when he is physically fit that he is now among the best players on tour. “I’ve had a bit of a rough stretch over the last five, six tournaments, so it’s a very welcome change to see some good golf this week,” said Davis, who dropped from a share of third with a double bogey on 17. “A lot of the structure I took into this week will definitely help me going forward. “A lot of very positive steps and very happy to see the trend going back the right direction again.” A tie for 19th is likely to have secured Jason Day a return to The Masters next month as Kiwi Ryan Fox delivered a sneaky good TPC Sawgrass debut, going under par in each of the final three rounds to finish tied for 27th. While the golf world’s eyes were squarely fixated on THE PLAYERS Championship, South Australian Wade Ormsby secured a triumph in Thailand. Ormsby missed a 15-footer on the 72nd hole to win the International Series Thailand in regulation but needed just one trip down the 18th to take the playoff against Thai youngster Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.

Ormsby’s last victory was the Hong Kong Open in January 2020 and he credited his work with new coach Grant Field for his return to the winner’s circle. “I can’t believe I am here,” he said. “I had a tough week down in New Zealand last week (at the New Zealand Open). “I was so annoyed with myself as I knew I was playing well. “I worked so hard with my coach Grant Field. “I am so stoked.” Results

PGA TOUR

The Players Championship TPC Sawgrass (The Players Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 1 Scottie Scheffler 68-69-65-69—271 $US4.5m T6 Cam Davis 69-70-67-74—280 $736,607.12 T6 Min Woo Lee 68-70-66-76—280 $736,607.12 T19 Jason Day 70-70-70-72—282 $275,000 T27 Ryan Fox (NZ) 74-68-70-71—283 $167,656.25 71 Adam Scott 72-73-77-71—293 $50,750 72 Aaron Baddeley 73-72-74-76—295 $50,250 MC Harrison Endycott 70-77—147 MC Lucas Herbert 82-85—167 Asian Tour

International Series Thailand Black Mountain Golf Club, Hin Lek Fai, Thailand 1 Wade Ormsby 68-68-67-65—268 $US360,000 5 Kevin Yuan 67-67-69-67—270 $82,000 T12 Zach Murray 67-66-68-71—272 $30,566.67 T22 Andrew Dodt 66-69-69-70—274 $20,600 T27 John Lyras 72-64-67-72—275 $17,114.29 T58 Jack Thompson 68-70-71-70—279 $6,600 T63 Scott Hend 72-67-72-69—280 $5,900 T63 Terry Pilkadaris 69-70-71-70—280 $5,900 T65 Travis Smyth 68-71-71-71—281 $5,400 T68 Doug Klein 68-69-71-74—282 $4,800 MC Todd Sinnott 69-72—141 MC Marcus Fraser 71-70—141 MC Nick Voke 69-73—142 MC Tom Power Horan 73-71—144 MC Harrison Gilbert 74-71—145 MC Jack Murdoch 71-74—145 MC Ben Campbell (NZ) 69-77—146 Ladies European Tour

Investec South African Women’s Open Steenberg Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa 1 Ashleigh Buhai 64-65-69-68—266 €48,000 MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 72-73—145 MC Wenyung Keh (NZ) 74-71—145 MC Kirsten Rudgeley 78-68—146 DP World Tour

Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi, Kenya 1 Jorge Campillo 69-68-63-66—266 €321,247.98 MC Blake Windred 72-71—143 PGA TOUR Canada

Qualifying Tournament USA East 3 RTJ Golf Trail – Highland Oaks, Dothan, Alabama 1 Stephen Franken 66-73-66-64—269 T60 Max Charles (a) 73-78-72-69—292 T119 Henry Spring (NZ) 78-81-86-77—322