It’s an unusual position young New South Welshman Josh
Cabban finds himself in this week in Papua New Guinea.

The 23-year-old comes into the PGA Tour of Australasia’s newest tournament, the South Pacific Export Radler PNG Open, as the defending champion despite not ever having won on Tour.

Cabban made the trip to PNG last year for the first time and claimed the title at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club when the tournament was played on the Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series.

"It’s a unique position; I wish it had been a Tour event last year. I’m just hoping to play well and win again," said Cabban, who has had a positive experience in Papua New Guinea.

"I enjoy it, a lot of people say it’s unsafe but I have really good people to stay with so I feel safe coming here for the week."

Having secured his card on the PGA Tour of Australasia via Qualifying School this year, Cabban tees it up this week looking for back-to-back wins and his first Tour title.

With some course knowledge Cabban is confident he can achieve the feat, with the secret to success being to keep a cool head in the tropical climate.

"The greens are pretty good this year. Last year they were a bit bumpy in patches which I think through a lot of the guys out," added Cabban.

"If you just keep your head cool and accept that you are going to miss a few putts that you would normally hole, I think you can play really well and shoot a good number."

Aware of the huge opportunity up for grabs this week with the South Pacific Export Radler PNG Open now a Tour event, Cabban believes the quality of the field has increased, a trend he expects to see keep happening.

"It’s definitely a big advantage coming here with a smaller and perhaps slightly weaker field than other big tournaments on Tour," said Cabban.  

"It’s a good chance to really get yourself up the Order of Merit and if you have a win it cements your spot on the Tour for the next couple of year. There is a lot of importance placed on this week.""I believe a lot of players will come up next year when they hear the positive reports from the guys
this year. The course is in good nick, it’s well worth the money to travel up and I think a lot more will next year."