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It’s a text message almost no one on the planet would be expecting. It was an invitation Min Woo Lee says was too unfathomable to reject.
Celebrity status doesn’t get much bigger than being invited to a listening party for a new Justin Bieber album, yet that is where Lee finds himself after just two seasons on the PGA TOUR.
It will be two years this November when Lee returns to Royal Queensland Golf Club chasing a second BMW Australian PGA Championship and a repeat of the week that launched his global fame.
Chef hats and chants of ‘Let him cook!’ have now become synonymous wherever the 27-year-old plays in the world and he credits the boisterous enthusiasm of the Brisbane crowds in 2023 for accelerating a social media profile now among the most popular in world golf.
“I had, I don’t know, probably half the followers I had from now to then,” Lee said of his Queensland coming out party.
“That was a big, I guess, moment of my career and my social media career, the cooking and stuff.
“It did start there and I owe that to the supporters that came out and watched me. It was a lot of dedication to wearing chef hats. I know it’s not ideal to wear a chef’s hat when you’re watching, but it is very cool to have that support.
“It’s quite cool to come back to where the chef’s hat started and the ‘Let him cook’ went viral.
“I love playing there. I play well there and I can’t wait to be back.”
Lee’s star was unquestionably on the rise when he electrified the Royal Queensland galleries at the 2023 BMW Australian PGA Championship, a chip-in for eagle at the par-5 ninth instantly among the iconic moments in Australian tournament history.
He has since transitioned to the PGA TOUR, set up camp in Las Vegas and finds himself giving chipping lessons to Hailey Bieber surrounded by A-list celebs.
“I still don’t believe it,” Lee said of the circles he now mixes in.
“I talk to (Justin) now and then over the phone and text, but it’s nothing. It is very cool to just be around him.
“It was my first time really being close and meeting up with him and yeah, it is a very pinch me moment.
“I’m still speechless of it. I’m just me and ‘JB’ is one of the biggest artists and celebrities in the world.
“A lot of respect for what he does and it’s very cool that he loves golf and I just managed to get in between them.”
Deep down, Lee knows his celebrity status is dependent on performance on the golf course.
A maiden PGA TOUR title at the Texas Children’s Houston Open was a major career milestone in a year in which he admits the results that followed fell short.
He will play the BMW PGA Championship in London and Open de France next month before setting sights on another showstopper at RQ.
“At the beginning of the week, it is already hyped up that you’re going to play,” Lee added.
“One of the top names being at a tournament, you’re going to get a crowd and then the Australian crowd is just enormous.
“It’s very cool. It’s awesome to have that feeling of playing in front of thousands of fans early on a Thursday morning.
“I always say that Australian crowds are the best and they always want sporting events down here.
“It is very, very cool to try and play good golf for them. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Tickets for the BMW Australian PGA Championship and men’s Australian Open are on sale now at www.ticketek.com.au
Already a winner of the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and one of the most popular players in world golf, Min Woo Lee will set his sights on claiming a second Joe Kirkwood Cup at Royal Queensland Golf Club later this year, it was confirmed today.
Claiming the title in 2023 with memorable scenes including his chip-in at the ninth hole, Lee won for the first time on the PGA TOUR in 2025 when the now 27-year-old triumphed over world No.1 Scottie Scheffler at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March.
A victory the vocal Queensland crowds will no doubt be excited to celebrate with the West Australian when he tees it up at Royal Queensland from November 27-30 alongside the already confirmed local challenge of Adam Scott and defending champion Elvis Smylie.
Tickets and hospitality packages for the BMW Australian PGA Championship are on sale now via www.ticketek.com.au
“Ending the year at home in front of the amazing Aussie fans is always a fantastic experience, and I’m hoping to add some more success after winning in the US earlier this year,” Lee said.
“The BMW Australian PGA is one my favourite events of the year,” Lee said.
“Winning the Aussie PGA was such a special moment in my career and clearly Royal Queensland suits my game,” Lee said.
“The atmosphere in Queensland is always amazing to be a part of, especially at the party hole.”
Now a five-time winner as a professional, and like Scott and Smylie chasing another Kirkwood Cup to their trophy collection ahead of a Presidents Cup year, Lee was tied for 15th at the BMW Australian PGA in 2024.
The tournament is once again co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour, with Lee, now ranked 46th in the world qualifying for this year’s FedExCup Playoffs, headlining the next generation of Australian players taking on a truly international field in Brisbane.
“Min Woo is obviously a champion golfer, but he is so much more than that with his personality, play, social media and more meaning he is fast becoming a fan favourite with golfers and non-golfers, which we love to see,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“Min’s win at Royal Queensland two years ago is one of the most memorable in recent history, and his chip-in at the ninth was truly electric to witness and showcased the ‘X-Factor’ he has that only a special few in professional sport can rival.
“I’m sure my excitement as a fan to have him back playing at home will be shared by everyone who plans to head to Royal Queensland and witness him in full flight chasing another chance to lift a truly historic trophy in golf.”
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said Min Woo Lee’s return to Royal Queensland was a thrilling moment for the state and for golf fans across Australia.
“We’re proud to support an event that showcases such exceptional talent,” Minister Powell said.
“Last year’s BMW Australian PGA Championship injected more than $15 million into the local economy, reinforcing its value not just as a world-class sporting event, but as a driver of tourism and economic growth.
“We’re delighted to see it continue to attract globally known stars and passionate fans to Brisbane.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said fans would be thrilled to see the returning champion back on the iconic Royal Queensland fairways.
“Min Woo Lee’s pursuit of a second title in Brisbane this November is a huge win for the tournament,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Brisbane is Australia’s lifestyle capital and our incredible major events calendar creates more to see and do for residents and visitors alike.
“The battle for the Kirkwood Cup will once again draw fans from across Australia and beyond, filling our hotels, restaurants, and precincts while showcasing everything Brisbane has to offer.”
Queenslander Cory Crawford has delivered one of the rounds of the day to surge to a second Kumul Minerals PNG Open title at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
The site of Crawford’s first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory in 2017, Royal Port Moresby was again kind to the 32-year-old who produced a bogey-free 7-under 65 to finish at 11-under par for a four-stroke win.
“It’s funny, I had a conversation with my billet on the drive to the golf course and I said, ‘If I can shoot 8 (under) today I’m a really good chance,” said Crawford.
“And my mindset was really aggressive. I put a lot of pressure on myself, a lot of expectations on myself to be able to shoot a good number and try and win this thing.
“That’s all I was thinking for the whole day. So really excited to be able to pull that off with that much pressure on myself.”
Teeing off more than an hour before the final group and five strokes adrift, Crawford clawed his way up the leaderboard with birdies at three, four and six before cashing in on the three consecutive par 5s around the turn.
Round 4 takeaways
Six-under through 10 holes and with the likes of overnight leader Lincoln Tighe losing ground, Crawford was soon the outright leader. He made a seventh and final birdie at the par-3 13th followed by five nerveless pars to become the first two-time winner in tournament history.
“First time, I had no idea what I was doing,” Crawford said of his breakthrough win eight years ago.
“This time, it was really structured and means a lot more because so much has gone into it.
“It feels really good to win a golf tournament so hard, as everyone knows. To be able to win this, it’s really special.
Tighe (74) was one of five players to finish in a tie for second at 7-under along with 36-hole joint leader Will Florimo (73), Queenslander Jake McLeod (71), 2024 Gippsland Super 6 champion Ben Henkel (72) and recent PGA Membership Pathway Program graduate Zach Ion (67).
While Crawford’s final winning margin was decisive, the tournament was in the balance as the final groups entered the back nine.
With McLeod making four straight birdies in the middle of his round and Henkel (72) turning in 3-under, just one shot separated the top five.
Neither Tighe nor Henkel were able to birdie the par-5 10th at which point the Royal Port Moresby back nine applied its squeeze, drawing three bogeys from both players over the closing holes.
Crawford didn’t put a foot wrong in the final round, citing his birdie at the par-3 13th as crucial.
“The birdie on 13 was probably the special one,” he added. “It’s a hole you typically wouldn’t birdie.
“Around the front nine, you can make a lot of birdies, which I did, which was nice. But the one on 13 was unexpected. To get that one was really, really nice.”
A semi-finalist at the Gippsland Super 6 last season, Victorian Andre Lautee earned the third top-10 finish of his career courtesy of the day’s best round, an 8-under 64 highlighted by birdies at eight and nine and an eagle at the par-5 10th.
With the local crowd in full support, Papua New Guinea amateur Morgan Annato recorded his best finish in his national open, a tie for 34th.
Sunday also saw the completion of the inaugural PNG Women’s Open with Coffs Harbour’s Amelia Mehmet-Grohn (73) finishing two strokes clear of Kathryn Norris (74) with Kristalle Blum third (72).
Lincoln Tighe is in position to erase the pain of a decade of near misses after assuming the outright lead through three rounds of the Kumul Minerals PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
The 36-hole lead of 9-under was not advanced on moving day, overnight co-leaders Corey Lamb and Will Florimo both posting 1-over 73 to drop back to 8-under and open the door for Tighe to move clear.
Three-under on his round after back-to-back birdies at nine and 10, Tighe made two bogeys of his own at 11 and 13 but finished with five straight pars for a round of 1-under 71 and a one-stroke advantage.
Round 3 takeaways
Lamb and Florimo will start Round 4 in a five-way tie for second, Brisbane’s Gavin Fairfax (68) and Round 1 leader Joel Mitchell (68) drawing to within one of the lead with two of the better rounds in hot conditions on Saturday.
It has been 11 years since Tighe claimed the NSW PGA Championship at Riverside Oaks in north-west Sydney, the 35-year-old eager to make the most of his latest opportunity.
“It would mean a lot at the moment,” said Tighe, who was top three three times during the 2022-2023 season.
“Last year, I sort of had new things in my life. I had my little boy come along. It’s been great to have him and support my wife, and she supports me when I’m away so a win would be great.
“I’ve been in this position a fair few times. Learning from those things and sort of channelling back to my win at New South Wales PGA.
“If I can do that, I’ll be around the mark.”
While renowned as one of the longest hitters on tour, it was Tighe’s putter that played a critical role both early and late in his round.
He rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at the par-3 second and then holed a putt from just outside 20 feet for par after finding the narrow hazard with his tee shot at the par-4 18th.
“I hit a really good drive down there. I hit one 15 metres out yesterday, and I thought that was the exact same drive,” said Tighe.
“If you don’t get the bounce – which I didn’t – obviously it went in the half-a-foot hazard, which was a bit tough. But to get up-and-down, that was great.
“I didn’t know where I was coming. I just sort of tried to keep my head down and keep going. So to make that putt was great.”
The trio of consecutive par 5s from the eighth hole again played an important role in reshaping the leaderboard on Saturday.
Tighe birdied two of the three, Fairfax birdied all three as part of a five-hole birdie blitz while Mitchell bounced back from back-to-back bogeys at six and seven with consecutive eagles at eight and nine.
Playing in his seventh national championship, Morgan Annato will have the support of the PNG crowd on Sunday as he seeks to better his previous best finish, a tie for 38th in 2023.
Winners on tour last season, Jordan Doull (68) and Ben Henkel (69) will start the final round just two strokes off the lead alongside Andrew Campbell in a tie for sixth, Jack Munro (71) and Jake McLeod (69) tied for ninth at 6-under.
Saturday also saw the historic first round of the inaugural PNG Women’s Open, Coffs Harbour’s Amelia Mehmet-Grohn (73) one stroke clear of Western Australian Kathryn Norris with Kristalle Blum, Elmay Viking and PNG amateur Margaret Lavaki tied for third.
Hunter Valley cult hero Corey Lamb came within one stroke of the front nine scoring record at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club to earn a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the Kumul Minerals PNG Open.
While the routing of the golf course has changed slightly this year, Lamb’s outward nine of 7-under 30 was one shy of the tournament record of 29 set by Daniel Gale in Round 3 of his 2018 victory.
Lamb added a solitary birdie on the back nine for a round of 8-under 64, joining Queenslander Will Florimo (65) at 9-under par, one shot clear of experienced New South Welshman Lincoln Tighe (68) with Kiwi rookie Mako Thompson (69) a shot further back in fourth.
Round 2 takeaways
Lamb and Florimo both spent time near the pointy ends of leaderboards last summer, Lamb playing in the final group of the Ford NSW Open alongside Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert while Florimo was the 36-hole leader at the Heritage Classic in March.
Affectionately known as ‘Chops’, Lamb also had the Round 1 lead at the Victorian PGA Championship and is poised to start the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season in winning fashion.
“I was in this spot a few times last year, end of last season,” said Lamb. “Just try and get over the line this time.
“Just do the same thing, fairways and greens, and see what happens.”
It was a formula that has worked to stunning effect over the past 25 holes at Royal Port Moresby.
Three-over through 11 holes of Round 1 on Thursday, Lamb clawed his way back to 1-under by day’s end with four birdies in his final seven holes.
Starting Round 2 on the same stretch of holes, by the time Lamb headed to the 10th tee he had played his previous 16 holes in 11-under par to launch into contention.
“You’ve just really got to hit good tee shots and you can sort of get up-and-down for birdies on most of the holes,” he explained of a front nine playing almost two shots easier than the back.
“And then the two par 5s, obviously you can get to both of them in two. They’re a really good chance of making eagle, which I did on the ninth.”
In contrast, Florimo did the bulk of his best work on the back nine, making the turn in 4-under after starting from the 10th tee.
A bogey when his approach into the par-5 ninth copped a wild bounce was a sour way to finish yet he remained content with his day’s work.
“I think I hit Mars on the way through and it jumped about six foot in the air and didn’t even get to the green,” Florimo said of his bad break.
“That put a bit of a blunt on a good day, but I’ll take it. I’m more than happy with that round.”
Like Lamb, Florimo intends to draw on his near misses from last season in pursuit of a maiden win over the weekend.
“Me and my coach have been working really hard on just trying to stay a little bit more present,” said Florimo.
“I’m someone that, unlike others, if I start hitting good shots, I can switch off a little bit.
“Obviously I was hitting it good at Heritage last year and we’re really just trying to stay really present with what I’m trying to do and hopefully we can just plod along.
“There’s 36 more holes to go so there’s plenty of golf left.”
The champion in Moresby in 2019, Peter Cooke (70) is four shots back in a tie for fifth along with Gold Coast’s Jack Munro (66) with Round 1 leader Joel Mitchell (73) one of four players in a tie for seventh at 4-under.
Photo: Joel Isbister/PGA of Australia
Two late birdies in Friday’s second round of the Kumul Minerals PNG Open have the potential to change the trajectory of Morgan Annato’s life and establish a pathway between Papua New Guinea and professional golf.
Playing in his national Open for the seventh time, Annato shot 2-under 70 in Round 2 at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club to make the cut in the largest field ever assembled for the PNG Open.
It will be the fifth time Annato plays the weekend against the leading players from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, but potentially the most important thanks to a lure from a personal sponsor.
“I got a dream. I think some of my sponsors want to send me down to Aussie to do a Q School,” Annato said after his round.
“They told me that as soon as you made the cut, we would send you down there, but I’ll just wait for them. I’ll fix my visa and all sort of things and then they’ll send me down there.”
It is a potentially historic opportunity for a country that has never had a player earn status to play the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Nelson Gabriel and the late August Peni are acknowledged as PNG’s greatest male professional players, but neither played tournaments in Australia.
Annato hopes to change that, all thanks to birdies on the seventh and ninth holes on Friday that will see him enter the weekend in a tie for 39th at 2-over par.
It is the third straight year that Annato has made the cut, a feat he attributes to putting on greens that can confound visiting players.
“Some of them are missing those short putts. And then for me, I just come and bang it in,” he added.
“It’s my own culture here. I get more advantage.”
Advancing golf in Papua New Guinea has been a growing focus with each staging of the PNG Open since 2016.
Junior players were given the opportunity to learn from the professionals in Wednesday’s Junior Pro-Am, 20 leading amateurs were granted exemptions into the field this week and this weekend will see the first staging of the PNG Women’s Open.
Each represents an important step down the path of a Papua New Guinean golfer one day joining the world stage.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape.
“Sport does sell our country’s image. Sport does inform the world who we are. And here you have professional golfers coming from right across the world to come in to play in Port Moresby.
“This is also a stepping stone for some of them into future professional careers. You never know, we wish each player who’s come here all the very best in their own golfing careers.
“Hopefully some of them down the line, we will make it through the entire professional golf rankings, become established professional golfers themselves and they can take the memory of their time and the weekend in PNG.”
As the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia embarks on its new season, long-time Tournament Director Graeme Scott expressed the hopes of the PGA of Australia that players from PNG will become regulars on Tour sooner rather than later.
“It’s very much our goal to have your aspiring professionals and young players coming to play on our Tour,” Scott said.
“It’s the closest professional Tour to them and so we would very, very much like in the future to see young players coming forward.
“That, of course, is the reason we have 20 elite amateurs playing this week because it’s not just playing in a tournament. This is a chance for them to play in a professional environment and it’s a step up in all aspects of the game. Not just how they play but how they conduct themselves and how they see other professionals conduct themselves.
“They are now able to benchmark themselves to see where their game’s at and where they need to get to take that next step.”
A step Annato is now closer to making.
A Victorian rookie making just his third start on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is the surprise Round 1 leader after the opening round of the PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
Playing on an invite received after recently graduating from the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program, 23-year-old Joel Mitchell birdied his final two holes in the second-to-last group on Thursday to take the Round 1 lead with 5-under par 67.
An eight-stroke winner of the WA PGA Associate Championship two years ago, Mitchell had two eagles on the front nine – the par-4 third and par-5 ninth – to edge one clear of a group of five players at 4-under.
Round 1 takeaways
A recent winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series back in Brisbane, Doug Klein was the first to post 4-under in the morning wave, Webex Players Series Perth winner Jordan Doull recovered from a disastrous start to also shoot 68 along with New South Welshmen Lincoln Tighe and Andrew Richards and Kiwi rookie Mako Thompson.
Defending champion William Bruyeres started brightly with a round of 3-under 69, as did 2019 PNG Open winner Peter Cooke, a group of six players a further shot back at 2-under.
Although playing on an Associate category this week, Mitchell also has a Tour category by virtue of advancing to Final Qualifying School in April and is acutely aware how a good result this week could impact his season.
“I need to take advantage of the ones I can get into on that Associate category but I did go to Q School early this year, so I got that Full Member tournament category,” said Mitchell.
“Got two dips at it sort of thing, which is a bit of an advantage. Just got to take advantage of it for the first six months and see where it can take me.”
There was a mix of both good and bad on Mitchell’s front nines, bogeys on two par-5s offset somewhat by his two eagles.
“A couple of sixes on par-5s leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but a couple of eagles made it just a bit sweeter,” said Mitchell.
“I knocked it on the third hole I think to about 25 feet and rolled that in. Then hit a short iron into nine and was able to hole the putt.”
Winner of the Windaroo Lakes Pro-Am late last month, Klein is hoping to convert strong pro-am form into a maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia win.
“I just wanted to sort of see that everything I was doing in practice was translating sort of across into my game play,” said Klein, who was also tied second at the Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifier at Lismore.
“I’m really excited with the way it is.
“I mean the game’s exactly where I want it, doing a lot of things right. Just got to stay healthy.”
Doull kicked off 2025 with victory at Royal Fremantle Golf Club but made a horrid start to the new season.
Tied 15th in this event last year, Doull began Round 1 from the 10th tee and was 3-over through five after following up a bogey at the par-3 13th with a double at the par-4 14th.
A birdie on 15 was step one in rectifying his round, playing the front nine in 6-under to join the leaderboard logjam.
“I hit the ball quite well on the front nine,” was Doull’s simple summation of the turnaround.
“I chipped in on the first, my 10th, and then from there everything just seemed to go in.”
Of the 20 amateurs from Papua New Guinea in the field, national representative Cassie Koma led the way with 2-over 74, tied for 74th entering Round 2.
Photo: Joel Isbister/PGA of Australia
It’s the platform for the new wave of professionals with stars in their eyes. It is the breeding ground for the best young players across the country to prove they have what it takes at the pro level.
It is a happy homecoming for Australia’s very best players making their mark across the globe and a starting point for international stars looking to make an early impression on a new DP World Tour season.
However you look at it, the 2025-2026 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season offers up a smorgasbord of storylines for players and golf fans alike.
Headlined by the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club and the men’s Australian Open at iconic The Royal Melbourne Golf Club that are co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season begins this week in Papua New Guinea, returns to the Northern Territory in a fortnight’s time and will visit Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales prior to Christmas.
Reputations will be forged, stars will rise and history will be written… and it starts now.
The Chase: The past three seasons have highlighted the pathways available to the top performers on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Reigning Order of Merit champion Elvis Smylie earned immediate DP World Tour status with victory at last year’s co-sanctioned BMW Australian PGA Championship while David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori have played in a number of major championships since their Order of Merit titles. Status on the DP World Tour awaits again for the top three on the Order of Merit while tournaments co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour also offer international pathways.
The Rors Returns: Reigning Masters champion and career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy will send a jolt of electricity through Australian golf when he returns to play the men’s Australian Open for the first time in more than a decade. The 2013 champion at Royal Sydney Golf Club, McIlroy played the 2014 Australian Open at The Australian, the lure of Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December enough to entice the Northern Irishman back to our shores.
Global invasion: The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s growing reputation and the first Qualifying School held overseas has opened the door for an influx of international hopefuls to our shores. In addition to a Kiwi contingent headlined by two-time PGA TOUR winner Ryan Fox, the flags of the United States, Japan and Spain will feature prominently on leaderboards throughout the summer. New Yorker Chris Malec was medallist at the Q School in Georgia in July and will lead a number of recent college graduates including Ty Gingerich, Jayce Hargrove and Samuel Espinosa seeking to make their names Down Under.
Key social media accounts
Instagram: @pgatouraus; @pgaofaustralia; @ausopengolf; @wpgatour; @golfaust
Facebook: @PGATourAus; @PGAofAustralia; @WPGATour; @AusOpenGolf; @GolfAust
X: @PGAofAustralia; @AusOpenGolf; @WPGATour; @GolfAust
Tik Tok: @australiangolf
PNG Open (August 14-17)
Royal Port Moresby Golf Club
Defending champion: William Bruyeres
Prizemoney: $225,000
Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship (August 28-31)
Palmerston Golf Course
Defending champion: Daniel Gale (2023)
Prizemoney: $200,000
World Sand Greens Championship (September 27-28)
Non Order of Merit event
Binalong Community Club
Defending champion: Brett Rankin
Prizemoney: $140,000
CKB WA PGA Championship (October 9-12)
Kalgoorlie Golf Course
Defending champion: Jack Buchanan
Prizemoney: $250,000
Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open (October 16-19)
Mt Lawley Golf Club
Defending champion: Elvis Smylie
Prizemoney: $200,000
Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett (October 23-26)
Willunga Golf Course
Defending champion: Jack Buchanan
Prizemoney: $200,000
Ford NSW Open (November 13-16)
The Vintage Golf Course
Defending champion: Lucas Herbert
Prizemoney: $800,000
Queensland PGA Championship (November 20-23)
Nudgee Golf Club (Kurrai Cse)
Defending champion: Phoenix Campbell
Prizemoney: $250,000
BMW Australian PGA Championship (November 27-30)
Royal Queensland Golf Club
Defending champion: Elvis Smylie
Prizemoney: $2,500,000
Australian Open (December 4-7)
Royal Melbourne Golf Club
Defending champion: Ryggs Johnston
Prizemoney: $2,000,000
Victorian PGA Championship (December 11-14)
Moonah Links
Defending champion: Cory Crawford
Prizemoney: $250,000
His fellow Americans are venturing to parts unknown but Tyler Griggs has revealed a family history ahead of his maiden appearance on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the PNG Open starting Thursday.
Griggs is one of 11 Americans in the field at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, the majority earning status for the new 2025-2026 season via the historic Qualifying School held in Georgia in July.
Griggs, a graduate of UCLA, finished 19th at Kinderlou Forest and needs to start his season well to earn starts in the biggest tournaments as the season advances.
Like his travel companions from the United States, Griggs is making his first trip Down Under yet it is familiar territory for his uncle, JJ West.
West was a regular visitor to Australia between 1996-2000, his best result a tie for fourth when Bradley Hughes claimed the 1996 Australian Players Championship at Robina Woods on the Gold Coast.
Griggs will make his debut on Australian soil at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship in a fortnight’s time but is already embracing the adventure ahead.
“Funnily enough, my uncle played on the Australian tour back in the day, back in the ‘90s, so I’ve known about it for a long time,” said Griggs.
“Just recently I was doing a lot of Monday qualifiers for the Korn Ferry, PGA TOUR and then PGA TOUR Americas and then I got an e-mail for the Australian Tour.
“I’ve known that it’s pretty legit so I figured might as well go take a crack at that.
“I was lucky enough to get some status and get into the first two events, so I’m pretty happy.”
Another of the US contingent eager to make a strong early impression is Ty Gingerich.
After graduating from the University of Cincinnati last year, Gingerich won the 2024 Indiana Amateur Championship and the Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship.
Tied fifth at Qualifying School in Georgia, Gingerich is not yet exempt for the BMW Australian PGA Championship or the men’s Australian Open, something he is eager to rectify during the early part of the season.
“As of now, I’m not exempt for Aussie PGA or Aussie Open, so I’d like to work my way into playing in those events and kind of go from there,” said Gingerich.
“I guess the first goal is the start of the season and then hopefully, by the end of the season, to win the Order of Merit would be great.
“There’s a lot of good opportunity here on the Australian tour. I saw the e-mail come about Q School and kind of did some research and seemed like a good opportunity for me.
“I didn’t have any status this year, so thought I might as well go play and see what I can get out of it, and it worked out well.”
Led by Q School medallist Chris Malec, the other American players in the field this week are Nathan Jordi, Ben Carpenter, Brock Healy, Kameron Williams, Scotty Kennon, Viraj Garewal, Matthew Cleary and Colin Andrade.
Brisbane’s William Bruyeres returns as defending champion along with 2023 champion Lachlan Barker and seven tournament winners from the 2024-2025 season.
Round 1 tees off Thursday at 7am AEST.
Photo: Joel Isbister/PGA of Australia
For the third straight year, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season kicks off on foreign soil with the 2025 PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
A tournament that dates back to 1977 when Ted Ball was triumphant, the PNG Open joined the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule in 2016 and has been the maiden Tour victories for Cory Crawford (2017) and Daniel Gale (2018).
Returning as defending champion, William Bruyeres’s win 12 months ago was all the more significant given his grandfather’s own success as a golfer when stationed in Moresby for work.
If he is to go back-to-back, Bruyeres will have to fend off not only the rising stars of Australian golf but an influx of Americans who are making their Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia debuts.
Medallist Chris Malec and Ty Gingerich both earned status for this season at the Qualifying School held in Georgia last month while Brock Healy, Kameron Williams, Scotty Kennon, Viraj Garewal, Tyler Griggs, Nathan Jordi and Matthew Cleary can all enhance their chances for additional starts this season with a strong showing in PNG.
This week will also see history made as the inaugural PNG Women’s Open is played concurrently across the weekend.
Nine members of the WPGA Tour of Australasia will tee it up alongside six amateurs from Papua New Guinea in what represents a milestone event celebrating PNG’s 50th year of Independence.
Although there is no television broadcast this week, fans can stay up to date with all the action via the PGA of Australia and Challenger PGA Tour of Australia social media accounts along with live scoring and daily tournament wraps at pga.org.au.
PNG Open
Royal Port Moresby Golf Club
Prizemoney: $225,000
Live scores: pga.org.au
Facebook: @PGATourAus
Instagram: @PGATourAus
X: @PGAofAustralia
Players to watch
William Bruyeres – Defending champion
Phoenix Campbell – Two-time Queensland PGA champion
Quinn Croker – 2023/2024 Future Tour Order of Merit winner
Jimmy Zheng – Final Qualifying School medallist
Harrison Crowe – Two-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner
Past champions
2024: William Bruyeres (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
2023: Lachlan Barker (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
2019: Peter Cooke (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
2018: Daniel Gale (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
2017: Cory Crawford (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
2016: Brad Moules (Royal Port Moresby Golf Club)
Tournament record round
61, Daniel Gale, R3, 2018
Low front nine score
29, Daniel Gale, R3, 2018
Low back nine score
29, Mitchell A. Brown, R2, 2016
29, Jack Wilson, R2, 2019
Largest winning margin
9, Daniel Gale, 2018
Most eagles in a round
3, Daniel Gale, R3, 2018
Most birdies in a round
10, James Marchesani, R1, 2017
