Hall surges late to regain advantage at Vic Open

Overcoming her mid-round frustrations, Hall birdied the 15th and 18th holes to move past the No.1 Australian in the field this week, Kelsey Bennett, who played the last four holes in 3-over-par.

A winner of three WPGA Tour of Australasia titles in New South Wales, but never one over 72 holes, Hall (72) is at even-par, three shots clear of Bennett (74), West Australian Kathryn Norris (73) and star Victorian amateur Jazy Roberts (72).

“You can't take anything for granted out here. It can bite you in the rear end as quick as it gives you the birdies,” Hall said.

“You've got to stay patient and I had a lot of frustration through the middle section of the round.

“I created a lot of opportunities through nine, 10 and didn't convert, but I just hung in there because I knew coming in these holes – 17 and 18 - aren't easy holes and anything can happen.”

The three-shot swing of the 15th – Hall’s birdie from three metres to Bennett’s double-bogey after she took two shots to escape the greenside bunker – flipped a three-shot swing from earlier in the round.

Bennett was level with Hall when they arrived at the seventh tee, facing a devilish 100-metre par-3 three that has a tiny green with deep bunkers and steep drop-offs awaiting any mishit approach.

Danger is everywhere and to make the challenge even more substantial, the seventh was playing straight into the howling southerly, gusting to 60kph.

Bennett’s purely struck 7-iron flew dead straight, finishing just centimetres from the hole for a tap-in birdie, while Hall’s 7-iron went over the back, leading to a double-bogey and a three-shot swing.

“That could be the best golf shot of my life,” the former champion at The Athena said as she put her club back into her bag.

Bennett produced just one birdie against three bogeys and the double in the final 11 holes to lose her grip on the lead.

Like Hall, Norris made her move on the closing stretch, playing the last six holes in 3-under-par.

Roberts, who shortly heads off to the women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur in New Zealand, grabbed a share of the lead with three consecutive birdies to start her day, but made a double-bogey at the par-5 11th before fighting back by picking up shots at 15 and 18.

Queenslander Lion Higo zoomed up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 3-under-par 69, which included a run of 15 consecutive pars from the third to 17th holes, to be in fifth place.

Reigning women’s Australian Open champion Jiyai Shin shot a 73, providing a late highlight with an eagle three on 18, to be eight-over overall, while defending titleholder Su Oh (76) is further back at 11-over.

The 2026 Vic Open is supported through Visit Victoria and the Regional Event Fund

TV times: Live 1pm-6pm AEDT Sunday on Kayo Sports and Fox Sports 503