The influx of Australian talent onto the PGA TOUR Champions has been on an upward trajectory for the past three years yet tournament wins – including in the five biggest events each year – have proved elusive.

While Kiwi Steven Alker has amassed nine Champions Tour wins – including the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship – only Mark Hensby (pictured, right), Rod Pampling and Steve Allan have won on the senior circuit in the US the past two years.

The drought in senior majors stretches back to 2002 when Stewart Ginn won the Senior Players Championship, one of only four Aussies along with Ian Stanley, Graham Marsh and Peter Thomson to claim one of the showpiece events on the senior circuit.

That drought could end this week at the Regions Tradition with a contingent of Aussies who have come close in recent years.

Victorian Richard Green was twice a runner-up in senior majors last year, Greg Chalmers (pictured, left) had a share of the lead going into last year’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship while Hensby, Pampling and Stuart Appleby all boast top-three finishes since 2022.

It is a rare double week of major championship action with seven Australians and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox to contest the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

While our three most recent major champions in Cameron Smith, Jason Day and Adam Scott are present again, it also marks the emergence of the next wave of Aussie superstars.

A breakthrough PGA TOUR win at last month’s Houston Open was the next step in Min Woo Lee’s progression and both Karl Vilips and Elvis Smylie will play the PGA Championship for the first time.

Vilips only graduated from Stanford University 12 months ago but has already earned his first PGA TOUR win while Smylie received a special exemption as Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner.

It is the second major championship for both and an opportunity for Smylie to take what he learned at last year’s Open Championship and apply it in a major setting.

“I feel like I’ll do a really good job at just not burning myself out too much,” said Smylie, who played a practice round with Day and Lee on Tuesday.

“My tendency last year at The Open was wanting to play a lot, just because it’s a major, it’s just really exciting.

“I’m doing my best at being able to prepare like any other tournament, so that’s where the experience of having Ritchie (Smith, Smylie’s coach) around will be really beneficial.”

Photos: Getty Images

Round 1 tee times AEST

US PGA Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
9:05pm*          Ryan Fox (NZ)
9:49pm*          Jason Day
10:11pm*         Min Woo Lee
10:17pm          Karl Vilips
2:36am*           Cam Davis
3:03am            Adam Scott
4:09am            Cameron Smith
4:26am*           Elvis Smylie

Past champion: Xander Schauffele
Past Aussie winners: Jim Ferrier (1947), David Graham (1979), Wayne Grady (1990), Steve Elkington (1995), Jason Day (2015)
TV times: Live 3am-9am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR Champions
Regions Tradition
Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, Alabama
1:15am            David Bransdon
1:48am            Stuart Appleby
1:59am            Cameron Percy
2:10am            Mark Hensby
2:10am*           Steven Alker (NZ)
2:21am            John Senden
2:54am            Richard Green
3:16am            Steve Allan
3:27am            Greg Chalmers, Rod Pampling
3:27am*           Michael Wright

Past champion: Doug Barron
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1999)
Prize money: $US2.6m
TV times: Live 5am-8am Friday, Saturday; Live 4am-7am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Ladies European Tour
Dutch Ladies Open
Goyer Golf and Country Club, Eemnes, Netherlands
Australasians in the field: Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Wenyung Keh (NZ), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard

Past champion: Jana Melichova
Past Aussie winners: Corinne Dibnah (1993), Stephanie Kyriacou (2021)
Prize money: €330,000

Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
11:46pm          Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:43am*           Rhein Gibson

Past champion: Harry Higgs
Past Aussie winners: Michael Sim (2009), James Nitties (2011)
Prize money: $US1m

Korea PGA Tour
SK Telecom Open
Pinks GC, Korea
8:12am*           Changgi Lee (NZ)
8:23am            Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
8:45am*           Junseok Lee
1:02pm            Wonjoon Lee

Past champion: KJ Choi
Past Aussie winners: Kurt Barnes (2011), Matthew Griffin (2013)
Prize money: KRW1.3b

Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
5:59am*           Su Oh

Past champion: Fiona Xu
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US250,000

Legends Tour
OFX Irish Legends
Mount Juliet Estate, Co Kilkenny, Ireland
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Scott Hend, Michael Long (NZ)

Past champion: Adilson da Silva
Past Aussie winners: Nil

Sunshine Tour
Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am
Irene Country Club, Centurion, South Africa
Aussies in the field: Austin Bautista

Past champion: Kieran Vincent
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: R2m