Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of a number of Australia’s most prominent events this summer, PGA Tour of Australasia officials have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to restore some of the playing opportunities Tour Professionals have been denied in 2020.

The second staging of the Gippsland Super 6 at Yallourn Golf Club will signal the recommencement of the 2020/2021 season and will be followed by the inaugural event of The Players Series, former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy to serve as host at Rosebud Country Club from January 28.

The Tour will remain on the Mornington Peninsula for the Victorian PGA Championship that moves to the Legends Course at Moonah Links from February 4 for rounds one and two with the adjacent Open Course to host rounds three and four, as well as the Moonah Links PGA Classic from February 9, another new addition to the summer of golf.

It’s a four-week stretch that forms part of a seven-event conclusion to the 2020/2021 Order of Merit and gives a host of the country’s best players the one thing they have craved all year; a chance to compete.

A three-time winner on the Australasian tour, Melbourne-based Matthew Griffin has not played a competitive tournament since the New Zealand Open in March and expects others to grab the chance to play four round tournament golf with both hands.

“I think the fields will be really strong. I know all of the Japan Golf Tour guys will be keen to play as many events as they can,” said Griffin.

“It will depend on how the European Tour schedule is sitting but we might get a couple of those guys back too.

“For these types of events I’m thinking the fields will be as strong as we’ve seen in Australia.

“Hopefully that will get some good momentum behind the game.”

A member of the Tournament Players Council, Griffin has seen first-hand the struggles golf has had in getting tournaments off the ground.

The logistics of staging major events and the reliance on Government funding for sponsorship placed golf in a vulnerable position in such uncertain times.

It’s made Nick Dastey’s task as the PGA of Australia’s Tournaments Director Australasia a challenging one and why he was so delighted to announce new events on the schedule.

“We understand we can’t replace the major events in this summer’s window but we are looking forward to having seven PGA Tour of Australasia tournament winners in the early months of 2021,” Dastey said.

“Our priority has always been to provide our players with as many playing opportunities as possible and we’re confident the level of golf and the depth of the fields will be extremely high.

“Whether it’s past champions, our current Tour players or the young stars of the future, golf fans who can come out and watch will be able to walk the fairways and witness some outstanding golf.”

Following the Victorian swing NSW Open qualifiers will be held on the Murray River, Dubbo, Queanbeyan and the South Coast and then the second of The Players Series events to be hosted by NRL legend Braith Anasta at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney.

The Players Series will see male and female professionals compete head-to-head for the same prizemoney and same title and is being monitored closely by golf’s highest administrative bodies as a possible template to be used throughout the world.

“The Players Series is a world-first concept and in many respects we will have the eyes of the world watching,” Dastey explained.

“The R&A have thrown their support behind The Players Series due to the potential they feel the concept has to be replicated in many other countries around the world.

“We’re really excited by what it can offer both for the players and for golf fans and I’ve got no doubt we will see it grow in the years to come.”

The 2020/2021 season will conclude with the $400,000 NSW Open at Concord Golf Club but the chance to compete again is reward enough for players such as Griffin.

“You can pull your swing apart and put it back together but to actually get out there and compete is what we do it for,” said Griffin.

“It’s that ability to contend in a tournament; the nerves when you’re standing on the first tee, whether it be Thursday morning or Sunday when you’re in contention.

“It’s an adrenaline rush. That’s what we practice for. That’s what you miss, that competitive edge that you want to get out there and compete.”

Revised PGA Tour of Australasia schedule

Dec 9-11              Geoff King Motors North Coast Open (NSW Open qualifier)             Coffs Harbour Golf Club
Dec 13-15            Tweed Coast Open (NSW Open qualifier) Coolangatta-Tweed Golf Club
Jan 10    2021 Blitz Golf – Glenelg Glenelg Golf Club
Jan 21-24            Gippsland Super 6           Yallourn Golf Club
Jan 28-31            TPS Victoria Presented by Geoff Ogilvy  Rosebud Country Club
Feb 4-7 Victorian PGA Championship      Moonah Links (Legends & Open Cse)
Feb 9-12              Moonah Links PGA Classic           Moonah Links (Open Cse)
Feb 15-17            Murray Region Open (NSW Open qualifier)             Murray River
Feb 19-21            Dubbo Regional Open (NSW Open qualifier)           Dubbo Golf Club
Feb 23-25            Queanbeyan Open (NSW Open qualifier)  Queanbeyan Golf Club
Feb 27-Mar 1      South Coast Open (NSW Open qualifier)   South Coast
Mar 4-7               TPS Sydney Presented by Braith Anasta Bonnie Doon Golf Club
Mar 11-14           Isuzu QLD Open               Pelican Waters Golf Club (TBC)
Mar 25-28           NSW Open          Concord Golf Club

Official Order of Merit events

Image: Moonah Links