Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Gold Coast’s Elvis Smylie will make his US major tournament debut after being granted a special exemption to play the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina from May 15-18.
Smylie’s late addition is his latest reward for winning the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. He follows on from the previous two Order of Merit winners, David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori, who were also granted late exemptions to play the year’s second major.
While it has represented major championship debuts for Micheluzzi and Kobori in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Smylie enters having played The Open Championship at Royal Troon last year.
He earned that spot through Final Qualifying and, although he narrowly missed the cut, has shown since that he is not overawed by the game’s biggest tournaments.
A win in the third event of the season, the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open, was a precursor to the 23-year-old’s stirring victory at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, where he went toe-to-toe with Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman in the final group at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
That win secured immediate status on the DP World Tour where the Golf Australia Rookie Squad member has since accrued three top-16 finishes, including in back-to-back events in his two most recent starts in China.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Smylie said in a post to Instagram.
“Thank you to the PGA of America for the invite and to Chairman, Ian Baker-Finch, and his team at the PGA of Australia for all the help with this process.
“I can’t wait and I’ll see you all at Quail Hollow.”
Smylie’s inclusion takes the total number of Australians to seven, joining 2015 champion Jason Day, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Cam Davis and 2025 PGA TOUR winners Min Woo Lee and Karl Vilips.
As the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia champion, Smylie will also be in the field at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships, Nick Dastey, said: “We’re delighted Elvis has received another opportunity to play against the world’s best players,” said Dastey.
“Our thanks go to the PGA of America for again recognising our Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit with a place in the PGA Championship field.”
There were plenty of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia who definitely trended in the right direction in season 2024/25.
Here’s a look at some of our biggest improvers in the top 20.
Cory Crawford (pictured above) – up 118 to No.13
The highlight of Crawford’s summer was a one-shot win at the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links in December, his first on Tour in more than seven years. In a consistent run in the first half of the 2024/25 season, the 32-year-old had top-20s in five consecutive events. He added a tie for seventh at Webex Players Series Victoria after the Christmas-New Year break.
Tyler Hodge – up 101 to No.20
With thoughts of retirement from Tour life in his head, the New Zealander produced the best result of his career with a win at the Wallace Development NZ PGA Championship at Hastings. His other big point hauls came with an 11th at the Ford NSW Open and share of eighth at the Heritage Classic.
Ryan Peake – up 79 to No.2
The West Australian’s thrilling one-shot win at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport was one of the big highlights of 2024/25. It changed his life. Less than 12 months after playing in the Tour Q School, the lefthander earned a winner’s category on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour and a 2025/26 DP World Tour card. He also had five other top-10s on his summer record.
Jack Buchanan – up 65 to No.6
In his second year as a professional, Buchanan was one of the stars of the first half of the 2024/25 season, beating Jordan Doull in a playoff for his first Tour win at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics before coming from behind to claim Webex Players Series South Australia in front of a home crowd. He also produced a T5 finish at the Ford NSW Open and a season-ending T6 at The National Tournament.
James Conran – up 64 to No.15
Conran came close to his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title last August, finishing as runner-up to Will Bruyeres in the PNG Open. When he next made it into contention at the Heritage Classic, he completed the job, producing a fantastic wedge shot on the final hole to set up a tournament-clinching birdie and a one-shot margin over Nathan Page.
Jack Thompson – up 60 to No.16
The South Australian cashed in at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport, coming within a shot of forcing a playoff with Ryan Peake after closing with a brilliant 63 at Millbrook. That result came after a T9 at Webex Players Series Sydney and gives him plenty of confidence for an Asian Tour campaign in 2025.
Corey Lamb – up 53 to No.9
The phrase “knocking on the door” was made for Lamb who was equal second at Webex Players Series SA and the Ford NSW Open and third at the Gippsland Super 6. He was also well in contention at Webex Players Victoria before finishing tied for 11th. A place inside the top 10 on the Order of Merit represented a huge jump for the NSW pro who came through Qualifying School last April.
Elvis Smylie – up 30 to No.1
Two victories, including an Aussie major, plus another five top-10 finishes made it a season to remember for the young Queenslander who now has a DP World Tour card and a position in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Smylie also produced arguably the shot of the year – an approach in near-gale force winds to inside a metre, setting up a birdie to clinch the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open at Mandurah Country Club.
Blake Proverbs – up 24 to No.17
The Queenslander was one of 13 first-time winners on Tour this season, triumphing in a playoff against Jason Norris at Webex Players Series Murray River. Earlier in the season, he again showed his linking for Nudgee Golf Club with a tie for third at the Queensland PGA Championship after being a joint runner-up in the same event 12 months earlier.
Harrison Crowe – up 18 to No.8
A victory at the season-ending National Tournament was a just reward for a strong season from the former Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion and GA Rookie Squad member. He fired in the big events with a T5 at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, T7 at the Ford NSW Open and T8 at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. His bogey-free 68 in strong winds to close out the win at The National was one of the rounds of the season given the circumstances.
First-year professional Jimmy Zheng hopes to emulate his fellow New Zealander Kazuma Kobori by turning a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School victory into a DP World Tour card.
Rounds of 67-67-69-68 gave the Duke University economics graduate a 17-under-par total on the Moonah Links Old Course and a three-shot margin over runner-up Ben Wharton (Victoria).
As the Qualifying School – Australia Final Stage champion, Zheng will be fully exempt for all tournaments in the 2025/26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, which begins in August with the PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
His compatriot Kobori was the Q School winner two seasons ago and then went on to have a spectacular 2023/24 season, winning three tournaments to claim the Order of Merit title and earn his DP World Tour card.
One of five New Zealanders to earn a Tour card by finishing amongst the top 26 and ties today, Zheng came through the First Stage of Q School last week, advancing in a share of sixth place, before leading Final Stage for the majority of the 72 holes.
He made his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia debut as a Monday qualifier at this year’s Heritage Classic, finishing in a tie for 28th.
“It feels like a real big boost of confidence,” the 23-year-old said of his victory.
“I’m real excited to play all the events and kind of see how my golf stacks up against all the other veterans and good golfers that have come through this system.”
Kobori’s achievements are a target for every Qualifying School professional with Zheng no exception.
“That would be the dream, honestly. Go through the PGA Tour of Australasia and get a DP (World Tour) card from the Order of Merit at the end of the season,” he said.
“Kazuma and I played a lot of junior golf together before I went over to America for uni.”
Further down the Qualifying School leaderboard, the biggest fightback in the final round came from former New Zealand Open champion Zach Murray who shot a 6-under-par 66 to retain his Tour card by a single shot.
Back at Q School after finishing 111th on the 2024/25 Order of Merit, Murray came to his last hole, the par-4 ninth, knowing he needed a birdie to reach the magic number required. He hit his approach shot to 15 feet and rolled in the putt for one of the most important threes of his career.
The 28-year-old was well back in a tie for 61st after a day one 77 but on the final day collected 10 birdies, alongside two bogeys and a double.
“It was a wild ride for sure,” the Albury professional said.
Unfortunately, it was a different story for three-time Tour winner Tom Power Horan who triple-bogeyed his final hole, the par-5 18th, to finish at 1-over-par, one shot outside the top 26 and ties mark needed.
Among the other successful qualifiers were former NZ PGA champion Louis Dobbelaar, outstanding NSW Amateur Declan O’Donovan, who featured on a number of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia leaderboards in the recently completed season, and 2023 Japan Amateur champion Rintaro Nakano.
O’Donovan intends to retain his amateur status for now as he focusses on the big amateur events overseas in the northern summer.
The top 26 finishers and ties earned Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia will be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 26th place and ties, who completed 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who played 72 holes of the Final Stage earned a Pro-Am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events.
The 72–hole Final Stage of Qualifying – USA will be played July 15-18 and the leading six players and ties from the USA will be eligible to for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, and will be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category. As in Australia, the winner of this stage will be fully exempt for all tournaments in the 2025/26 season.
Those players finishing from seventh to 20th place and ties at Final Stage USA, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The top 20 players will also earn a Pro-Am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA pro-Am Series.
Victorians Bradley Kivimets and Liam Reaper have clinched section victories in the First Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School – Australia at Moonah Links.
Kivimets won Section A by one shot from Jason Hong (NSW) after closing with a 65 to finish on 12-under-par for the 54 holes, while Reaper shot a final round 69 for an 8-under total to overhaul 2023 Japan Amateur champion Rintaro Nakano in Section B
After leading coming into the final round, Nakano battled to a 75 to end up in a share of second position with Victorian Aiden Didone at 7-under.
Silvester Tan (WA) was the other amateur to advance from Section B, while four amateurs – Queenslanders Max Ford and Ryan Swann, NSW’s Ethan Harvey and Victorian Sang Jun Lee – qualified from Section A.
One of the biggest moves on the final day came from Kieran Jones (NSW) who climbed to T8 from a share of 21st thanks to a 65 to follow on from opening rounds of 72-70.
The top 18 finishers from both stages advanced to next week’s Final Stage, also at Moonah Links.
Former Australian amateur representative Max Charles (Vic), who lost to Nathan Barbieri in a playoff at Final Stage last year, qualfiied with a 3-under-par total in Section A.
However, his 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship teammate, Connor Fewkes (WA), who is looking to make the switch to pro golf, failed to advance with a 2-over-par total.
The 72-hole Final Stage of Qualifying School – Australia, which has a confirmed field of 65 starters, gets underway on Monday with the top 26 finishers and ties to earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category. The winner will be fully exempt for all tournaments in the 2025/26 season.
Those players finishing beyond 26th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
The 72 – hole Final Stage of Qualifying – USA will be played July 15-18 and the leading six players and ties from the USA will be eligible to for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, and will be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category. As in Australia, the winner of this stage will be fully exempt for all tournaments in the 2025/26 season.
Those players finishing from seventh to 20th place and ties at Final Stage USA, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The top 20 players will also earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA pro-Am Series.
Photo: Victorian Bradley Kivimets
The World Sand Greens Championship for men will return to the national golfing calendar this September, with members of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia set to compete for a $140,000 purse at Binalong Golf Club.
The 36-hole championship at Binalong Golf Club in the NSW Southern Tablelands was a world first for professional men’s golf globally in 2024, when Queensland’s Brett Rankin triumphed in the non-Order of Merit counting event that will be played from September 26-28.
“The concept of playing a men’s professional tournament on sand greens was a first in Australia and captured the imagination of the players,” General Manager of Golf for Golf NSW Olivia Wilson said.
“They thoroughly enjoyed the nuances playing on sand greens created and adapted well.
“Sand greens golf plays an integral part in Australia’s golfing landscape, especially in rural communities, and it will be great to once again showcase this side of our game.”
“Playing and putting on sand is quite a different experience for many players. There are fundamental differences between landing approach shots and knowing how to ‘smooth’ a putting line.
“If a player doubts what to do, plenty of locals will be ready to offer free advice on the correct way to chip, smooth a line, and even hole a putt.”
General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships for the PGA of Australia, Nick Dastey, said the Men’s World Sand Greens Championship was well received by the players last year and offers an interesting addition to the schedule.
“All reports from last year were highlighted by how much the players enjoyed the unique challenge, and local hospitality, when contesting the World Sand Greens Championship,” Dastey said.
“Not only does it offer our players another chance to compete and potentially lift a trophy, but the event allows for a unique experience playing tournament golf and highlights the variety on offer in Australian golf.
“As the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule continues to build, we are thrilled to once again include the World Sand Greens Championship and the chance for one of our players to be crowned a world champion.”
Founded in 1857, Binalong Golf Club’s original nine-hole layout was carved through the middle of a now-defunct horse racing track, with the club located 37km northwest of Yass, about one hour from Canberra and three hours from Sydney.
Sitting 500 metres above sea level, the 18-hole, par-72 course is considered one of the best examples of a sand greens layout in regional New South Wales, with the club also hosting this year’s Women’s World Sand Greens.
The Men’s World Sand Greens Championship is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
With First Stage of Qualifying School at Moonah Links underway, two-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Anthony Quayle takes us inside golf’s most ruthless assignment.
Ask any player who has teed it up at a Qualifying School anywhere in the world and they will tell you the same thing: The pressure is about as much as you’ll ever feel in your life.
The consequences are just so much greater.
Some of the boys who are teeing it up this week at Moonah Links have been working a part-time job in between practising, saving up for their one shot at a spot on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia next season.
Play poorly, and it’s a long wait before you try again.
Play well and, as guys like Kazuma Kobori have shown, you can be playing major championships inside 18 months.
The first time I competed at a Q School was on the Korn Ferry Tour almost 10 years ago.
I got through First Stage quite comfortably and was going OK at Second Stage, when, out of nowhere, I made a triple and then a ‘quad’ on back-to-back holes in Round 3.
You make a mistake and it feels like your world’s ending a little bit.
As tough as that was, one thing that I found really comforting was that a couple of years prior, Jordan Spieth had missed out at Second Stage of Korn Ferry Q School.
Within a year he had won on the PGA TOUR.
A couple of years ago during a press conference at the Masters, Xander Schauffele spoke about how Q School and the Korn Ferry Tour prepared him to win tournaments on the PGA TOUR and, ultimately, majors.
Apart from that first experience in the US, my record at Q Schools has been pretty good.
I got through both stages to get my PGA Tour of Australasia card and went through three stages before getting one of 20 cards at Final Stage for the Japan Golf Tour.
But both times the result could have been very different.
I was 70th going into the final round of Final Stage of Australasian Q School and needed to finish top 30 to get my card.
The weather was horrific that final day – beanie-weather cold, hammering down rain – and I shot 69, which was the low round of the day, to run 20th and get my card.
Every year there are thousands of people who enter Q School in Japan but there are only 20 cards handed out at the end.
I was able to skip First Stage and then I shot 10-under to win Second Stage.
At Third Stage, I knew I was right on the number coming down the stretch.
I was really, really, really nervous. The final hole was a par-5 with a semi-island green so going for it in two was not viable, given the circumstance.
I had about 78 metres to a pin tucked next to the water and finished pin high, eight feet to the left of the flag, and holed that for birdie.
I was the last man get into Final Stage thanks to that birdie.
It’s funny when you look back on things like that because if I had missed that putt, then my past seven years might’ve been totally different.
My coach Ken Berndt always told me that the best way to play Q School is get ahead early… and get further ahead as the week goes on.
It sounds really simple, but that type of thinking has helped me to navigate Q Schools relatively successfully.
As a player, if you can handle the pressure that comes with Q School, imagine how well you can do with an abundance of opportunity.
For me, once I got over that line, I was just so excited at the prospect of having 10 or 12 tournaments to play in.
That overwhelming sense of opportunity felt like a speed ramp into professional golf.
For those at Q School, while it’s one of the most important weeks of your life, you can’t be buying into that narrative.
You have to look at it as one of the hundreds of events that you’re going to play as a pro.
Now, that’ll either turn out to be true or not be true, but your mindset needs to be that this is going to be one of many and I need to go out and compete the best I can.
And follow Ken’s advice: Get ahead early… and get further ahead!
Winner of the 2020 Queensland Open and 2022 Queensland PGA, Anthony Quayle finished fifth on the 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
First Stage of Qualifying School will be conducted over 54 holes over two sections. Section A will play the Legends Course while Section B will play the Open Course at Moonah Links.
The Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship will return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule in 2025.
After undergoing significant upgrades to its course and clubhouse, the Palmerston Golf and Country Club will again play host to the Top End’s most prestigious golf tournament from August 28-31.
And for the first time, the final two rounds will be broadcast live.
The Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship was last played in 2023 when NSW professional Daniel Gale shot a sensational final round of 65 to claim the title by four shots over Queensland’s Chris Crabtree.
It was the forerunner to an outstanding year for Gale who went on to finish second on the Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit to earn playing rights on the DP World Tour for 2024/25.
First played in 1995, the list of former NT PGA champions includes multiple Tour event winners Jordan Zunic, Travis Smyth and hometown favourite Aaron Pike.
This year’s tournament will be the second on the 2025/26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season following on from the PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club on August 14-17.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said the NT PGA Championship was one of the favourite events of the year for the country’s leading professionals.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to Palmerston Golf and Country Club and seeing the results of all the renovations that have been undertaken there on and off the golf course,” Dastey said.
“The NT PGA Championship has an atmosphere all of its own and its one our players embrace and really look forward to being part of.
“Televising the event for the first time is going to help take the tournament to the next level, giving us the opportunity to really promote the Territory and all the great things to do in the area, including as a golf destination.”
A number of events will take place in the week of the championship, including an intensive juniors clinic with the pros, a junior pro-am, a women’s clinic, a clinic to engage Indigenous children in the sport, and a Wednesday pro-am.
Supported by the Northern Territory Government through Northern Territory Major Events Company, the NT PGA Championship offers a fantastic opportunity for aspiring Territory golfers to witness elite professionals showcase their skills up close.
Palmerston Golf & Country Club General Manager Matt Hewer said: “After the clubhouse underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation and we completed course upgrades specifically to the irrigation systems, this is a great time to showcase not only the event, but the entire NT to a national audience on TV.”
Photo: Reigning Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA champion Daniel Gale
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia will provide a direct pathway for US-based players in a new Qualifying School initiative to be held in July.
In addition to First Stage and Final Stage of Qualifying School to be held at Moonah Links from April 9-17, the PGA Tour of Australasia will host an additional Final Stage at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia from July 15-18.
Entries open at 9am Friday AEDT (5pm Thursday in the US) with the field restricted to a maximum of 78 players vying for six spots.
It is the first time that the PGA Tour of Australasia has gone global in providing direct entry to a tour that has proven itself to be a pathway to the DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and eventually the PGA TOUR.
Given the opportunities afforded by the Order of Merit for players to secure major championship starts, DP World Tour cards and further international pathways, the PGA Tour of Australasia has explored ways to entice players from around the world to play in Australia.
“There is growing interest globally in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia,” said Tour Development Manager for the PGA Tour of Australasia, Kim Felton.
“Our partnerships with international tours have created some great playing opportunities for our players that are appealing to golfers worldwide.
“We believe that hosting a Final Stage of Qualifying School at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club will both create awareness of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia internationally and, ultimately, strengthen the quality of our Tour.
“It was awesome to see Ryggs Johnston win the Australian Open late last year and we hope this drives a few more players down to our great Tour and we see some more international winners.
“Players such as Kazuma Kobori and Ryan Peake have come through Q School the past two years and now have DP World Tour cards. David Micheluzzi, Kazuma Kobori and Elvis Smylie have earned starts in majors from their performances in Australia.
“We are excited to see who enters at Kinderlou Forest and which six players will earn playing rights for the 2025/2026 season with the top spot being exempt into all events, which includes the Australian PGA Championship, the Australian Open and the NZ Open.”
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, a quality course and well-known as a stern test of golf, hosted the South Georgia Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour between 2007-2014 and has been used as a host venue for Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q School.
The 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season concluded on Sunday with Harrison Crowe’s victory at The National Tournament.
Through their performances during the season, Elvis Smylie, Ryan Peake, and Anthony Quayle have all currently earned DP World Tour exemptions for 2026.
The Greg Norman-designed The Vintage Hunter Valley, nestled in one of Australia’s premier wine regions, will host the Ford NSW Open this year.
No stranger to tournament golf, The Vintage Hunter Valley has hosted the tournament, which is part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, four times from 2007 to 2010. Like last year, this year’s championship on November 13-16 will carry a minimum purse of $800,000.
Golf NSW CEO Stuart Fraser was thrilled with the decision to return to The Vintage for the first time in over a decade.
“This year’s Ford NSW Open presents a fantastic opportunity for us to ensure the tournament continues to be the most prestigious state championship on the Australian golf calendar,” he said.
“Murray Downs was a fabulous venue for last year’s tournament, and the crowds we saw throughout the week proved how thirsty the public are for elite-level golf.
“The general public of the greater Newcastle and Hunter region has a real love of world-class sport, and we know fans of the game will throw their support behind our flagship event.”
Ripper GC Star Lucas Herbert confirmed his status as one of Australian golf’s best in November last year with a three-shot win over his Ripper GC teammate and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, Sydneysider Alex Simpson, and the Hunter’s own Corey Lamb.
“Lucas’ win last year at Murray Downs captured the imagination of fans nationally, while Corey, or ‘Chops’, established himself as a crowd favourite with his quest for the Kel Nalge Cup. Hopefully, we’ll see them battle it out again this November,” Fraser added.
Ford Australia Director of Marketing Ambrose Henderson was excited that Golf NSW is building on the success of the 2024 Ford NSW Open by taking it back to the Hunter Valley region, where Ford has great connections with the local community.
“Since we started our partnership with Golf NSW late last year, we have already seen how golf in regional areas of NSW connects with the local community, and we are proud of the important role Ford and our Ford Dealers play in these communities too.
“The 2025 Ford NSW Open promises to be a spectacular event, with the anticipation of Lucas Herbert’s return to defend his title adding a dynamic edge. It’s thrilling to see such talent continue to grace our tournament, underscoring its prestige in the realm of Australian golf.
“This week we celebrate 100 years of Ford in Australia. As we stride into a new century, partnerships like Golf NSW are vital in our mission to support and uplift local communities through sport.”
Jodie Staples, Director of Sales & Marketing at The Vintage Golf Club, said the organisation was delighted to host the state’s premier golf championship again, adding the opportunity to display to the world what a fantastic destination The Vintage, and indeed the Hunter region, was.
“The Vintage Golf Club is thrilled to host the Ford NSW Men’s Open on our course, and we can’t wait to welcome the players and guests to the Hunter Valley,” she said.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase our beautiful grounds while celebrating the sport we love. We look forward to hosting an incredible event in November.”
PGA of Australia’s General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey noted the Ford NSW Open’s importance on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule and highlighted the excitement of returning to the Hunter Valley region.
“The efforts of Golf NSW to elevate the Ford NSW Open in recent years have been tremendous, and when combining the tournament’s history with the increased prize money, it makes it a highlight of our schedule,” Mr Dastey said.
“Everyone from the players to our staff thoroughly enjoyed Murray Downs in 2024, and I am certain it will be a similar story this year as we return to the Hunter Valley, where the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia has strong ties.”
Tournament Facts:
Host Venue: The Vintage Hunter Valley
Dates: November 13-16, 2025
Prize Fund: AU$800,000 (Min)
Website: www.nswopen.com
West Australian Ryan Peake capped his Rookie of the Year season with confirmation of a spot on the DP World Tour in 2026 as Anthony Quayle produced the shot of his life to also secure a pathway to Europe.
As Harrison Crowe completed a clinical final round of 4-under 68 to win The National Tournament by two strokes at The National Golf Club, the Order of Merit ramifications happening just below him on the leaderboard were frenetic.
A two-time winner this season, South Australian Jack Buchanan started the final round fifth on the Order of Merit and the man most likely to claim the card made available by Cameron Smith’s DP World Tour exemption as the 2022 Open champion.
The final nine holes of the season saw Quayle and West Australian Curtis Luck switch back and forth between sixth and seventh on the projected Order of Merit, each birdie opportunity and every dropped shot more significant than either could have anticipated.
When Luck made birdie at the par-3 16th in a howling wind he moved into outright second on the leaderboard and sixth on the live Order of Merit projections.
His bogey-bogey finish would prove costly not only for him, but for Buchanan.
Trailing Crowe by three strokes playing the final hole, Quayle hit a 2-iron from 215 metres to eight feet from a back-left pin at the 72nd hole for the birdie that secured second place alone in the tournament and the 107 points he needed to leapfrog Buchanan into fifth by just 10.3 points.
“It was 215-odd metres into a massive wind,” reflected Quayle, who quit the Japan Golf Tour late last year to dedicate himself to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the pathways it offers.
“Just the shot itself is hard, but I think the circumstance might make that the best shot I’ve ever hit.
“For the last few months, I’ve really not been allowing myself to get too far ahead of myself, which is difficult to do.
“I feel like I was able to have one goal in mind and that was just to win each week I teed it up. I didn’t achieve that, but I feel like I had a really good chance in more than half my starts.
“I’m just incredibly proud and happy with the way I kind of just stuck with it.
“I’ve had three top-fives to finish the year to just sneak past and secure this.
“It’s pretty awesome.”
Peake entered the week with No.2 on the Order of Merit guaranteed.
With Elvis Smylie earning DP World Tour exemption via his victory at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, it promises Peake an almost full schedule when he joins the DP World Tour as a member for the 2026 season.
Although his well-publicised past will make it challenging to maximise the Asian Tour card he earned by winning the NZ Open, he can now look forward to joining the best players on the planet on a major world tour later this year.
“It just solidified the fact of why I came back to the game and gave it another run,” Peake said of his future on the DP World Tour.
“Obviously with words of encouragement which everyone knows from certain people, (coach) Ritchie (Smith), my family and all that.
“It just shows that I’ve proved myself right in making the right decision to come back and play and give it another go.
“It will take a little while before I start getting on the road and start playing these events that it will kind of really sink in then.
“I’m just excited to get going.”
Buchanan was the hard luck story of Sunday’s season finale but there is still a chance he will join Peake and Quayle with a DP World Tour card for next season.
Lucas Herbert’s exemption as a DP World Tour winner runs out at the end of this season.
As the Ford NSW Open champion has now finished third on the Order of Merit, he would be entitled to that exemption if he chose to maintain his membership for the 2026 season.
If not, or if he becomes otherwise exempt, Buchanan is next in line.
Order of Merit final standings
1 Elvis Smylie 1,358.96 (9 events)
2 Ryan Peake 1,012.59 (19)
3 Lucas Herbert 758.47 (4)
4 Cameron Smith 735.68 (4)
5 Anthony Quayle 688.46 (15)
6 Jack Buchanan 678.16 (16)
7 Curtis Luck 594.12 (6)
8 Harrison Crowe 591.81 (12)
9 Corey Lamb 490.63 (17)
10 Jordan Doull 470.61 (18)
