Whilst the year’s second Major, the US Open, was still being completed there were several other tournaments featuring strong Australasian performances. Gavin Coles finished  in a tie for third at the Fort Smith Classic on the Nationwide Tour, just one shot outside of a playoff while Kurt Barnes continues to lead the Order of Merit on the Omega China Tour after his third consecutive top five finish. Andrew Tampion and Kane Webber had top ten results on the European Tour and Sydney’s David Merriman had his best ever result on the European Seniors Tour finishing runner up at the Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open.

EUROPEAN/CHALLENGE TOUR: TOP TEN FINISHES FOR TAMPION AND WEBBER
Andrew Tampion and Kane Webber have had top ten finishes at the European/Challenge Tour’s Saint Omer Open in France. Tampion finished in a tie for seventh place on two under while Webber was tied tenth a further shot back at the event won convincingly by Sweden’s Christian Nilsson. Nilsson, who was runner up at the event in 2008 eased to his first European Tour victory with a faultless final round. He started the day with a four shot lead, closing with a bogey free 69 finish on 13 under par, six shots clear of Portugal’s José-Filipe Lima. For Tampion, it was his second top ten finish for 2009 after he was T6 at the Telenet Trophy in May. After five events this year he is 21st on the Challenge Tour Money List. For Webber, from Lismore in NSW, it was his best result in Europe in 2009. South Australian Wade Ormsby who held the half way lead after a sensational second round 65 lost momentum with closing rounds of 74 and 75 to finish one shot behind Webber and T15. Australians Tony Carolan and Matthew Millar finished on four over par and T43 with New Zealand’s Gareth Paddison with Michael Curtain T60 on eight over, Unho Park T64 on nine over and Matthew Zions a further shot back and T68.
 
NATIONWIDE TOUR: COLES FINISHES THIRD
Aussie Gavin Coles has finished tied for third at the Fort Smith Classic on the Nationwide Tour, won in a play off by American Jason Enloe. Enloe defeated countryman Chris Tidland on the first playoff hole after both players finished regulation play on 15 under par. Coles and Americans Will Collins, Brian Smock and Justin Bolli finished one shot behind the leaders to claim a share of third place.  It was Coles’ best result in 2009 and his second top ten finish after he tied for seventh at the New Zealand PGA Championship in March and saw him move from 61st on the Money List to 32nd. First round leader New Zealand’s Phil Tataurangi made his first cut from his last nine starts to eventually finish T8, equaling his best result this season which he initially claimed at the Moonah Classic in March in Australia. Queensland’s Andrew Buckle had his second top ten finish for the season, closing with a final round 69 to finish tenth on 11 under while fellow Queenslander Scott Gardiner finished T12 on nine under. David McKenzie and Brad Iles were T31 on four under, two shots ahead of Paul Gow who was T44 whilst Moonah Classsic winner Alistair Presnell was T70 on six over par. Michael Sim continues to lead the Money List with Alistair Presnell 7th, Steve Alker 9th, Cameron Percy 11th and Brad Iles 22nd.
 
OMEGA CHINA TOUR: ANOTHER TOP FIVE FINISH FOR BARNES
Australian Kurt Barnes, leader after the first two days, shot a final round 71 to finish 15-under par and in outright fourth place at the Dongfeng Nissan Invitational won by Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant.   Wiratchant  shot a closing five-under 67 to win the inaugural RMB700,000 event in Anji with an Omega China Tour record total of 20-under 268. Korean 18-year-old Eom Jae-woong finished one behind after birdying the last for a 68, while Chinese star Li Chao fired a 65 to finish 17-under after a rain-interrupted final round at the Anji King Valley Country Club in Zhejiang province. Last week’s Luxehills Championship runner up Rowan Beste finished T8 on nine under par alongside fellow aussies Josh Lane and Brad Andrews with Anthony Brown following up his T7 at the Luxehills Championship with a T13 on the weekend. Tom Prowse and Michael Moore finished T36 and even with the card while Lucas Bates was T52 on five over followed by Tristan Lambert two shots back and T54. Barnes, one of nine PGA of Australia members to play in the event has had three consecutive top five finishes on the Omega China Tour including a win at the Sofitel Championship in April and leads the Order of Merit.

 
EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR: RUNNER UP FINISH FOR MERRIMAN
Australian David Merriman has recorded his best Senior Tour finish, closing with an even round 72 to finish second at the  Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open, won by South African Bertus Smit. Smith claimed his maiden title at Royal Porthcawl by four strokes and become the first Qualifying School graduate to win on the European Senior Tour in four years. It was a sentimental victory for the 56 year old former wheat farmer who suffered a stroke in 2006 which left him partially blind with only 45 per cent vision in his right eye. Joint overnight leader Ian Woosnam’s two over par 74 meant he had to settle for a share of third place with Ross Drummond, Bobby Lincoln and Des Smyth, a shot further back on level par.  For Sydney’s Merriman, in just his third year on the Senior’s tour, it was his second top ten this season and moves him into fourth place on the Order of Merit. New Zealand’s Simon Owen was the next best placed finishing T14 on four over par with David Good two shots back and T24.  Sydney’s Peter Fowler, playing in his first Senior’s Tour season was T28 on seven over.

AUSTRALASIAN RESULTS:
 
EUROPEAN/CHALLENGE TOUR: SAINT-OMER OPEN, AA SAINT OMER GC, LUMBRES, FRANCE
WINNER: CHRISTIAN NILSSON (SWEDEN) -13
T7 Andrew Tampion (-2), T10 Kane Webber (-1), T15 Wade Ormsby (E), T43 Tony Carolan, Matthew Millar, Gareth Paddison (NZL) +4), T60 Michael Curtain (+8), T64 Unho Park (+9), T68 Matthew Zions (+10).
MC: Scott Barr
 
US NATIONWIDE TOUR: FORT SMITH CLASSIC AT HARD SCRABBLE COUNTRY CLUB, ARKANSAS  
WINNER: JASON ENLOE (USA) won on first playoff hole over Chris Tidland (USA) – 15
T3 Gavin Coles (-14), T8 Phil Tataurangi NZL (-12), 10 Andrew Buckle (-11), T12 Scott Gardiner (-9), T31 David McKenzie, Brad lles NZL (-4), T44 Paul Gow (-2), 70 Alistair Presnell (+6)
MC: Adam Bland, Won Joon Lee, Grant Waite NZL, Andre Stolz, Mark Hensby, Steven Bowditch.
 
OMEGA CHINA TOUR: DONGFENG NISSAN TEANA OPEN, ANJI KING VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB,  ZHEJIANG PROVINCE.

WINNER: THAWORN WIRATCHANT (THAILAND) -20
4 Kurt Barnes (-15), T8 Josh Lane, Brad Andrews, Rowan Beste (-9), T13 Anthony Brown (-8), T36 Michael Moore, Tom Prowse (E), T52 Lucas Bates (+5), T54 Tristan Lambert (+7)
MC: Clint Sailes, Kevin Gilbert Jones (NZL), Philip Luke.
 
EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR: RYDER CUP WALES SENIORS OPEN AT ROYAL PORTHCAWL GOLF CLUB
WINNER: BERTUS SMIT (RSA) -5
2 David Merriman (-1), T14 Simon Owen NZL (+4), T24 David Good (+6), T28 Peter Fowler (+7), T30 Mike Harwood (+8), T40 Mike Clayton (+11), T41 Bob Charles NZL (+12), T44 Terry Gale, Stewart Ginn, Noel Ratcliffe (+13), T53 Graham Marsh (+14).