Golf enthusiasts in the Yarra Valley will have a rare opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greats of Australian golf when the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour arrives in Lilydale this month for the ProCon Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am.

Former Major winner Ian Baker-Finch will be joined by a host of well-known Australian legend Professionals including former Alfred Dunhill Cup winner (1986) and US PGA Champions Tour winner (2003), Rodger Davis, European Open winner (1991), Mike Harwood, and New Zealand Open winner (2004), Terry Price, as they battle it out at Gardiners Run Golf Course.

Australia is blessed with a bevy of former Tour Professionals and while they may no longer be in the spotlight like they once were, they realise the importance of supporting golf at grassroots level in regional areas, including Baker-Finch.

"I love coming home to play the PGA Legends Tour; it’s a great circuit that unites friends, clubs and communities. You meet some exceptional people from local areas all with the same passion for golf and it’s wonderful to see senior Professionals supporting the tour and promoting our great game around Australia."

Gardiners Run Golf Course Manager, Mark Boulton, is thrilled to see the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour return to the club for the second consecutive year and the opportunity presented to the local community to not only enjoy a day of fantastic competition but also the club’s hospitality.

"To have some great names of Australian golf in the field is a real coup for the tournament and the region. We’re delighted to have Ian Baker-Finch joining us, it’s not every day you have a Major winner playing at your club, and we hope the local community will come out and support the event and our Aussie legends," said Boulton.

Baker-Finch is one of only four Australians to win The Open (1991) and has become a popular golf commentator on CBS in America and on the Seven Network in Australia; however, the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour regular will have solid competition from his compatriots, Harwood and Davis. 

Harwood, who won the 2015 E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit, has continued his consistent form this year securing two back-to-back victories and five top-10 finishes from his last nine starts.

While Davis, who won the Australian Seniors PGA Championship last November and received an entry into the 2015 Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast, could well be another one to watch after 25 top-10 finishes from 53 starts in 2015.

The E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour has enjoyed significant growth over the past 12-months attributed to a number of key factors, including an increase in prize money and a steady influx of players turning 50, has seen a number of tournaments become oversubscribed.

The ProCon Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am will be played at Gardiners Run Golf Course on Friday, March 11th 2016 and offers a prize purse of $15,000.

The E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour is managed by the PGA of Australia and is the Professional golf circuit for male Professional golfers aged 50 and over.

Approximately 80 tournaments operate throughout Australia and The Pacific, with senior Professionals playing for a share of approximately AU$1.4 million in prize money each year.

The Tour’s most prominent tournaments include the Australian PGA Seniors Championship, the Australian Senior Open, the New Zealand PGA Senior Championship and the Legends Tour Championship.

Senior Professionals who feature regularly on the PGA Legends Tour include PGA TOUR winner, Wayne Grady, European Tour winner, Peter Fowler, PGA Tour of Australasia winner, Peter Senior, and European Tour winner, Peter O’Malley.

Related links

Schedule / 2016 E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour
News /  2016 E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour