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Australian golf legend Peter Senior headlines a list of golfers, media members and golf administrators to be included in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List announced today by Governor-General David Hurley.
Among 737 Australians honoured with awards in the Order of Australia, meritorious awards and recognition for conspicuous service, Senior received an Order of Australia (OAM) for service to golf.
The Queenslander was named alongside legendary commentator Sandy Roberts and nine other recipients with a connection to the game.
Senior, whose longevity has been marvelled at across the golf world, won 35 times as a professional, including 21 victories on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, as well as wins on the DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Three times a winner of the Australian PGA Championship, and twice the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Senior’s first and last PGA Tour of Australasia wins remarkably came 36 years apart, with the 64-year-old winning on Tour in five different decades.
“Peter is one of the most highly regarded professionals of his era not only domestically but internationally and continues to support the game via our PGA Legends Tour,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“Since turning professional in 1978, Peter has built a tremendous record around the world, but especially at home in Australia where we have loved watching him play our tournaments across so many years.
“Peter’s remarkable 1989 run when he claimed the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Johnnie Walker Classic is some of the best golf played in this country, and the manner in which he has conducted himself over his career is also worthy of mention.
“His contribution to the game also includes being Chair of the PGA of Australia and serving on the PGA board as a playing director.
“I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this accolade for services to golf.”
Born in Singapore, and following older brother Jeff into the professional golf world, Senior’s success continued into the over-50s game including as a two-time winner of the Australian PGA Seniors Championship. His memorable 2015 Australian Masters with son Mitch as caddie is a standout moment in Australian golf.
During many of Senior’s victorious walks down the final hole in Australia, Sandy Roberts formed part of the commentary team, with the broadcaster among those on this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List. Roberts receiving an OAM for service to media as a sports commentator.
Among the other recipients, Robert Dean, who followed his father and mother as a life member of Red Cliffs Golf Club, has been awarded an OAM for service to the community of Red Cliffs.
Mr. Dean served as both President (1972, 1973, 2874) and Captain (1980, 1981) of the club and has contributed a great deal to the regional Victorian club, while Rhonda Parker has been honoured with an OAM for service to the community of Boyup Brook in Western Australian. A valued member of her local community. Ms. Parker has served as Handicap Manager at the Boyup Brook Golf Club.
The winner of the Western Australian Veteran Golfers Association Championship in 2005, Michael Litis is another of the golf linked honourees with his OAM for service to the community through sports organisations.
“To see such a significant and varied range of golfers and golf associated Australians be honoured in this way is a significant moment, and thrill for all of us in Australian golf,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“Peter Senior is of course a legendary champion and standout on the list for all, however, it is heartening to see recognition across all parts of the Australian golf landscape, especially those who have devoted their time to volunteer run clubs or associations.
“From all at Golf Australia, and the broader golf community, I wish to extend our sincere congratulations to all on this year’s Honours List, and particularly those who have impacted the game of golf.”
The full list of King’s Birthday Honours List recipients associated with golf is listed below.
Mr. David Guthrie Willersdorf AM – For significant service to the community of the Greater Dandenong region.
Mr. Lance Raymond Boswell OAM – For service to the communities of Albury and Howlong
Mr. Robert James Dean OAM – For service to the community of Red Cliffs
Mr. William Edward Faint OAM – For service to the community of Clermont
Mr. William Clifford Gee OAM – For service to surf lifesaving, and to the community
Mr. John Francis Henderson OAM – For service to the community of Inverell
Mr. Michael Nicholas Litis OAM – For service to the community through sports organisations
Ms. Rhonda Joan Parker OAM – For service to the community of Boyup Brook
Mr. Sandy Roberts OAM – For service to media as a sports commentator
Mr. Peter Albert Senior OAM – For service to golf
Mr. Bernard James Sinnott OAM – For service to the community of Camperdown
After two rounds of meeting his goal of bogey-free golf, Brett Rankin grabbed a five-shot win at the PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am.
The Queenslander followed up his Mackay Golf Club course record of 10-under-par 61 in round one on Thursday with a 5-under 66 today to earn his first win of 2024 and repeat his Mackay success from 2022.
Reigning adidas PGA Pro-Am Series champion Andrew Campbell (64-68) birdied two of his final three holes to claim second with a group of five players – Jay Mackenzie, Connor McDade, Lincoln Tighe, Nathan Page and Jack Pountney – a further shot behind.
The low round of Friday came from Ben Henkel whose 8-under 63 lifted him to eighth place, seven shots from the lead.
While the Victorian’s first round of 71 included five bogeys – as well as an albatross on the par-5 ninth – he was bogey-free today in a round which featured a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine.
Rookie Queensland pro Blaike Perkins was the other big mover in the morning groups, carding a 65, highlighted by an eagle on the ninth, to move to 7-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
By the time Rankin stood on the 10th tee this afternoon, the 2022 Mackay winner had built his two-shot overnight lead to a five-shot advantage with birdies on the first, fourth and ninth.
An eagle at the par-5 10th sent him further in front.
After looking at the size of his lead, Rankin adjusted his game plan and “shut up shop”, opting for a more conservative approach. The 37-year-old closed with eight straight pars to confirm his runaway win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s been a great two days. I went bogey-free for 36 holes,” Rankin said. “It’s hard to beat someone when they go 36 holes without a bogey.
“I’ve been playing really well back home and it’s just nice to continue that form, although tournament golf is a little different.
“It’s probably the best I’ve chipped and putted for some time.”
FINAL LEADERBOARD
-15: Brett Rankin (Qld) 61-66
-10: Andrew Campbell (NSW) 64-68
-9: Lincoln Tighe (NSW) 67-66; Nathan Page (Vic) 67-66; Jack Pountney (NSW) 67-66; Jay Mackenzie (NSW) 65-68; Connor McDade (Vic) 63-70
-8: Ben Henkel (Vic) 71-63
-7: Blaike Perkins (Qld) 70-65; Riley Taylor (NSW) 67-68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays in the Mackay region for the Roy Powell Security Pioneer Valley Pro-Am on Sunday.
There’s also a two-day event in Western Australia, the Bennco Karratha Pro-Am, starting tomorrow
Queenslander Brett Rankin is the new course record holder at Mackay Golf Club after shooting a scintillating 10-under-par 61 on day one of the PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am.
The winner in Mackay two years ago, who says he has always felt comfortable on the North Queensland layout, has a two-shot lead over rookie professional Connor McDade (Vic) with last season’s adidas Pro-Am Series national Order of Merit leader Andrew Campbell (NSW) a further shot back.
Starting his round on the 10th hole and feeling “a bit dusty” after some State of Origin beers last night, Rankin turned in 4-under 32 and then collected six birdies on a front nine of just 29 strokes.
He birdied each of the par-5s and had a couple of good par saves to keep his momentum going.
“It was a little bit unexpected,” Rankin said.
“I kind of got hot on the front nine and hit a lot of quality shots.
“I was bogey-free which is always one of my goals even when I’m playing with my mates back home. The No.1 goal is to go bogey-free and I take a lot of pride in that.”
The field of 62 players produced 37 under-par rounds on day one, including a 69 for defending champion Sam Brazel (NSW), while Victorian Ben Henkel (71) provided the shot of the day, holing out for an albatross on the 448m par-5 ninth.
Play in the second round of the 54-hole event starts at 6.30am.
Leaderboard
61: Brett Rankin (Qld)
63: Connor McDade (Vic)
64: Andrew Campbell (NSW)
65: Caleb Bovalina (Vic), Jay Mackenzie (NSW)
66: Jye Pickin (NSW)
Andre Stolz holed out from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Jason Norris and Peter Senior and claim the Vuksich & Boric Fiji Legends Golf Classic for the first time today.
The trio headed to Denarau Golf and Country Club’s par-5 18th hole after finishing level at 8-under-par after 54 holes, with Senior catching the joint overnight leaders by carding a final day 6-under 66.
Trying to emulate a victory at Denarau back when he was in his 20s in 1997, Stolz put himself in some trouble when he flew his third shot into the back bunker. Meanwhile Norris was in a greenside trap in just two and Senior had made it safely aboard in three after laying up.
“I’d actually had two of those bunker shots during the round, exactly the same with no lip which is so strange in a bunker,” Stolz said.
“I’d hit two great shots out already and I said to ‘Norrey’ going up to the green that ‘you know I’m going to hole mine out of here’.”
The 54-year-old made good on his prediction, splashing out of the sand before the ball rolled out with perfect pace into the cup to claim his four. Senior and then Norris missed with their birdie attempts to extend the playoff from four metres and two metres out respectively.
The win moves back Stolz back to a familiar position on top of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
After sharing the lead with Norris at the start of the day, Stolz turned in 3-under-par 33 to take a two-shot advantage.
Birdies on the par-3 11th and par-5 14th brought Norris back to level and the two cartmates couldn’t be separated after 54 holes after they posted pars on each of the final four holes for matching rounds of 69.
Meanwhile, defending champion Senior’s round in the group ahead featured a front nine of 32 and he eventually caught the top two by making a birdie on the par-3 17th. His 66 was the low round of the day.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I was pretty out of sorts over in WA and putting poorly so I went to the local Golf Box and bought a putter. It just felt good and on these greens you’ve got to a get a good roll on them to get them going across the top of the surface,” Stolz said.
“I did some good work at home at Pelican Waters and was feeling good actually when I got over here.
“I love coming to Fiji, as everyone else does, but been a bit frustrated at this event before with two seconds without winning. Now I can tick this one off the list.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-8: Andre Stolz (74-65-69)*; Jason Norris (71-68-69); Peter Senior (72-70-66)
(* Stolz won with birdie on first playoff hole)
-4: Mark Boulton (73-70-69)
-3: John Onions (74-67-72); Christopher Taylor (73-70-70)
-2: Roland Baglin (73-68-73); Chris Hollingsworth (73-73-68); Grahame Stinson (74-71-69)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Series heads to Queensland for the Australian PGA Nine-Hole Championships at the Town of 1770 on June 28-30.
The PGA Institute has made crucial updates to its flagship course to provide the most up-to-date educational experience that reflects the current golf industry.
As of July 1, the Diploma of Golf Management will be replaced by the updated Diploma of Golf Business and Management.
With the current course’s period of currency coming to an end, a committee of both PGA of Australia and Golf Australia staff, as well as managers from the broader golf industry, reviewed the curriculum, noted alumni feedback, the industry relevance of the course and the subjects it included.
The new course better reflects the current industry, while continuing the PGA Institute’s focus of providing the only nationally recognised qualification in the golf industry.
“The new Diploma of Golf Business and Management is reflective of industry best practice,” said Suzanne Burns, PGA of Australia’s Senior Manager – RTO.
“It’s reflective of the current needs of industry, upskilling and empowering staff, ensuring we have a skilled workforce and are providing further career and educational opportunities for students.”
The curriculum has altered slightly to include only 15 units, removing some of the units that were no longer the most relevant for the golfing industry.
The new course structure focuses on the skills and knowledge required for career success in the industry, including golf operations and management, human resource management and critical business skills.
The existing pathways to higher education for PGA Institute students are still available, including advancement into various bachelor degrees with Holmesglen Tafe; Torrens, Deakin and Griffith universities; as well as the internal pathway into the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
To find out more about the PGA Institute click here.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard has been a professional golfer in the making since she was a little girl growing up in Perth.
This week, the former Australian Junior champion gets the opportunity to live out that dream.
Hinson-Tolchard, a Karrie Webb Scholarship-holder, makes her professional debut on the Epson Tour in Michigan, playing for a $US 200,000 prize pool.
The 22-year-old from Gosnells Golf Club is excited at the prospects, having completed her studies and graduated in exercise science from Oklahoma State University where she won a Big 10 title in 2023.
She has held off turning professional so that she could complete her degree and also compete in the 2024 Augusta Women’s Invitational tournament, but the time has arrived.
“Been a long time coming but I finally get to say I’m a professional golfer!!” she posted on social media this week.
“Thank you to my whole team back in Aus for always backing me, I can’t wait to take this next step with you guys and my biggest thanks goes to my family for always believing in me.”
Karrie Webb, the seven-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer was among those who reached out to her this week.
Hinson-Tolchard secured playing rights on the secondary tour in the United States by reaching the second stage of LPGA Tour school last year.
Half of the Epson Tour season has passed already, meaning that she has come catching up to do.
The top 15 players on the Epson Tour by season’s end earn LPGA Tour cards for 2025, which was the vehicle by which another Aussie, Gabriela Ruffels, graduated to the main tour this year.
Hinson-Tolchard has represented WA and Australia at all levels and won the 2018 Australian Junior at just 16 years old.
Meanwhile Jason Day and Cam Davis lead the Australian charge at the PGA TOUR’S elevated event, The Memorial tournament in Ohio this weekend.
The 49-year-old Webb makes her first appearance since 2022 on the LPGA Tour in New Jersey this weekend, alongside a bunch of Aussies.
PHOTO: Maddison Hinson-Tolchard is looking to build after a stellar amateur career. Image: Getty
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
The Memorial Tournament
Dublin, Ohio
1.35am Cam Davis
5.10am Jason Day
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.
Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1990, 1995), David Graham (1980)
Prizemoney $US20 million
TV times: 4am-8am Fox Sports and Kayo Sports
LPGA Tour
Shoprite Classic
Galloway, New Jersey
Australasians competing: Karrie Webb, Hannah Green, Grace Kim, Steph Kyriacou, Sarah Kemp, Hira Naveed, Karis Davidson, Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Ashleigh Buhai
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2013)
Prizemoney $US1.75 million
TV times: nil
DP World Tour/Ladies European Tour
Scandinavian Mixed
Vasatorp Golf Club, Sweden
Daniel Hillier (NZ) 12.30am
Jason Scrivener 1.20am
Defending champion: Dale Whitnall
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney $US2 million
TV times: 9pm-2am Fox Sports and Kayo Sports
Epson Tour
Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club, Michigan
Australasians competing: Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu (NZ), Su Oh, Amy Chu, Soo Jin Lee
Defending champion: Siyun Liu
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney $US200,000
Japan Tour
BMW Tour Championship
Shishido Hills Country Club, Ibaraki
9.44am Brad Kennedy
11.28am Anthony Quayle
12.42pm Michael Hendry
Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: ¥150 million
PGA Champions
American Family Insurance Championship
University Ridge GC, Wisconsin
12.22am Greg Chalmers
12.33am Richard Green
12.55am Mark Hensby
1.06am Stuart Appleby
1.06am* Cameron Percy
1.17am* John Senden
1.39am* Rod Pampling
1.50am* David Bransdon
2.01am* Steve Allan, Michael Wright (NZ)
Defending champion: Steve Stricker
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney: $US2.4million
Challenge Tour
Challenge de Cadiz
Cadiz, Spain
4.10pm Connor McKinney
4.10pm* Hayden Hopewell
4.50pm Andrew Martin
9.10pm Tom Power Horan
Defending champion: Sam Hutsby
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney €270,000
Korn Ferry Tour
BMW Charity Pro Am
Thornblade Club, South Carolina
9.40pm Rhein Gibson
2.50am Dimi Papadatos
2.50am* Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Adrian Dumont de Chassart
Past Aussie winners: Rhein Gibson (2019), Rod Pampling (2015), Nick Flanagan (2007, 2012), Michael Sim (2009)
Prizemoney $US1 million
LIV Houston
Golf Club of Houston
Australasians competing: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Wade Ormsby, Matt Jones, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ), Marc Leishman
Defending champion: nil
Past Australian winners: nil
Prizemoney: $US25 million
Korean PGA Tour
KPGA Championship
Seoul, South Korea
Australasians competing: Matthew Griffin, Jun-Seok Lee, Richard Lee (NZ), Won Joon Lee
Defending champion: Seungbing Choi
Past Aussie winners: Matthew Griffin (2014)
Prizemoney 1.5 million Korean Won
Andre Stolz and Jason Norris will head into the final round of the Fiji Legends Golf Classic tied for the lead after the birdies flowed freely at Denarau Golf and Racquet Club today.
Norris followed up his 1-under-par 71 from Natadola Bay in round one with a 4-under 68 at nearby Denarau, but was caught by Stolz who produced the low round so far in the three-day PGA Legends Tour tournament, a 7-under 65.
The duo holds a two-shot advantage over Roland Baglin (73-68) and John Onions (74-67).
After a self-described “terrible” putting round on Tuesday, Stolz had a much better day out at Denarau where 20 players in the over-50s field broke par compared to just one a day earlier.
“I’m very happy with how I’m playing again,” Stolz said.
“I had a run over there in Perth and played terrible the whole time. ‘Norry’ was playing great over there and I wasn’t.
“I was really happy to sort a few things out before I came over here.
“It’ll be good fun playing with ‘Norry’ tomorrow.
“Fiji is a great place to have a holiday and play some golf but I’ve run second here the last two years and I’m sick of that.”
Norris will be looking to add the Fiji Legends Golf Classic trophy to the Fiji International title he claimed in 2017 when it was co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia, DP World Tour and Asian Tour.
“I have a soft spot with Fiji and love coming back,” Norris said.
“I think I’m going to be chasing Stolzy all day tomorrow so hopefully I can play a bit better.”
Defending champion Peter Senior will also be in the hunt on the final day, starting three back after posting a 70 today following a 72 at Natadola Bay on Tuesday.
The final round will have a shotgun start at 9am (Fiji time).
Leaderboard
-5: Andre Stolz (74-65); Jason Norris (71-68)
-3: Roland Baglin (73-68); John Onions (74-67)
-2: Peter Senior (72-70)
-1: Christopher Taylor (73-70): Mark Boulton (73-70)
Even: Marcus Cain (75-69); David Fearns (74-70); Martin Peterson (72-72)
As Jamie Arnold and Tim Stewart paced the 2,500 square metre space in east Atlanta scribbling a potential floor plan on the back of a napkin, the concept of an indoor golf facility wasn’t the key. It was the idea.
Any idea.
The latest idea.
The craziest idea.
Most importantly, whatever got them to the best idea.
There would be what Arnold references as the “light bulb moment” but it was only possible because they disregarded convention and asked the simple question: ‘What would we want from an indoor golf centre?’
“Everybody that walks in asks, ‘Where did you design this from?’ And Tim and I say, nowhere, because we’ve never seen this before,” says Arnold, a PGA of Australia Tournament Member since 2007.
“We’ve travelled the world playing golf and there’s nothing like this.
“The only way we could make it work was being creative.”
Through his father Colin – a PGA Professional of 50 years who spent more than 30 years at Cronulla Golf Club, Arnold has had a connection to the PGA from the day he was born.
Winner of the Australian Amateur in 2006, Stewart became a Tour Professional in 2008 before completing the Tour Professional Articulation and becoming a full Vocational Member in 2016.
He says that Arnold’s career playing in the US and his own international playing experience was critical in shaping their vision.
“Initially, our goal was to bring golf to the forefront for parents with kids and try to get golf to be more accessible for people over here, like it is for us in Australia,” Stewart explains.
“We tried to build our facility in a way that we could maximise its impact for people looking to learn golf without any of the typical barriers for entry.
“Our opportunity to travel around the world playing golf at so many amazing facilities really helped us in our concept and with that, avoid mistakes we had seen and build what we thought a golf facility should look like from our perspective.”
The genius in the space that is now Golf House Academy is its versatility.
Arnold describes it as a football field that can be split into four quadrants.
When completely opened up – with glass walls that encase the High Performance Swing Lab – people who walk in can see the entire space from front to back, including the 18-hole, 111-foot-long putting green.
But the space can be split in half for group lessons, cordoned off for individual lessons or separated in such a way that a group of friends can come in and hit balls beside each other as they would on a range.
It was that flexibility that made Arnold, Stewart and their business partners reframe who they thought it would appeal to.
Observing the success that Aussie Kids Golf Academy was having in the city, Arnold saw opportunity in the family demographic in the east of Atlanta yet has been surprised at the clientele they have attracted in the first three months of opening.
“Families come in with their kids and want to do a lesson while their son takes part in a clinic,” Arnold adds.
“This is accessible for everyone, whether you’re a tour pro or an absolute beginner.
“There are no dress codes, we have golf clubs, we have everything.
“There’s a massive market of people that tell us that there was nowhere for them to practice or play.
“It’s been massive among women who can be intimidated going to a driving range.
“We crank the music. We ask what kind of playlist they want to listen to and off we go.”
Making the space open, light and inviting was also a key focus in the design.
Skylights bathe the facility in natural light and the detail in the furnishings was such that people come in and show no inclination that they want to leave.
Complementing that atmosphere is a staff that treat visitors more as friends than clients.
“Our secret sauce is people come in expecting X and they leave with X and Y,” says Arnold.
“Part of that is our culture in Australia, being personable, nice, giving them a great experience.
“If the lesson’s an hour and they’re not hitting it well or whatever, our coaches will regularly run 10 minutes, 20 minutes or 30 minutes over.
“Our staff are absolutely phenomenal. They’re really good people. They’re not clients, they’re really friends.”
Arnold acknowledges that property prices in Australia can make it prohibitive to establish a centre the size of Golf House Academy.
Yet he urges PGA Professionals looking at new business opportunities to explore every idea and to not be afraid to do it differently to everyone else.
Among their innovations, Golf House Academy boasts retractable vinyl walls that give the space flexibility and a game-changing use of impact screens that completely altered how they could maximise their footprint.
“The width of the back space is almost 20 metres so if you use a net, you need four feet between it and the wall,” Arnold explains.
“Tim had the idea of using an impact screen which means you only need 30 centimetres off the wall. That gave us an extra five or six feet, which was huge.
“Once that happened, everything fell into place.
“That was a light bulb moment for sure.”
Jason Norris returned to the scene of one of the biggest highlights of his golf career to take a one-shot lead heading into day two of the Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic this afternoon.
The Queensland-based Victorian scored a four-shot win in the 2017 Fiji International, a tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia, DP World Tour and Asian Tour, banking the biggest cheque of his career.
Now one of the best players on the over-50s PGA Legends Tour, Norris shot a 1-under 71 on day one to lead defending champion Peter Senior and Martin Peterson by a shot, with a group of four players – Roland Baglin, Chris Hollingsworth, Mark Boulton and Christopher Taylor – a further shot back on 1-over.
It’s the first time Norris has returned to Natadola Bay since he defended his Fiji International title in 2018.
“It’s a great feeling to be back,” Norris said.
“I didn’t play as well as the time I won but the course is magnificent. I just love it and love being here.
“It is a tough golf course and the thing for me this year is that previously I’d only ever played off the back tees. We’re a tee forward and it’s a completely different golf course.
“I had no idea what clubs to hit at times.”
Leaderboard
71: Jason Norris
72: Peter Senior, Martin Peterson
73: Roland Baglin, Chris Hollingsworth, Mark Boulton, Christopher Taylor
74: Andre Stolz, Grahame Stinson, David Fearns, John Onions
Defending champion Sam Brazel has urged more young players to cut their teeth on the pro-am circuit ahead of a bolstered PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am in Mackay starting Thursday.
Dating back to a four-day event worth $60,000 almost a decade ago, this year’s two-day adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event at Mackay Golf Club boasts $51,500 in prize money, an increase of 94 per cent on last year and almost five times the amount played for in 2021.
The increase in prize purse has the potential to make Brazel’s hopes of repeating wins in 2021 and 2023 all that more challenging.
Fellow DP World Tour winner Marcus Fraser joins the likes of Deyen Lawson, Kade McBride and Jake McLeod at the 36-hole event starting Thursday along with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia players John Lyras and Elvis Smylie.
Also hungry for tournament success is the new crop who have recently turned professional, former amateur stars Jye Pickin and Connor McDade now forging a new path in the pro ranks.
Winner of the 2016 Hong Kong Open and with extensive international experience in Asia and Europe along with a WGC appearance in 2017, Brazel believes his grounding playing pro-ams throughout Australia was invaluable in his early development.
“It’s a great opportunity for the younger crew to get out there and learn their trade on different styles of golf courses,” said Brazel.
“It’s a very, very good learning curve. More players should be subjected to it. I think they’d be better players because of it.
“Greg Norman used to play pro-ams back in his day when he was around.
“There’s a rich history of pro-ams in this country. You look at some of these little mining towns and the honour boards of those pro-ams, there are some pretty impressive names on there.
“It’s great to see the field strengthening and I think it’s a really good way to learn your trade, get a bit more mentally tough whilst actually earning a few bucks.”
Based in Lismore in northern New South Wales but doing much of his practice out of Ballina and Ocean Shores, Brazel estimates that he first played the Mackay Open more than 20 years ago.
With two wins and a top-five finish the past three years he has made the Mackay layout his own, but concedes it wasn’t always that way.
“My early years were a bit lean around there actually,” said Brazel, who was tied for sixth at the Lexus Townsville Classic a fortnight ago.
“There are multiple holes where you’ve got to shape it both ways and positional play off the tee is important.
“There are a multitude of tee shots that require a different shape to them, so it kind of suits my game because I like to think that I can shape it both ways and plot my way around the golf course.”
Praising the event’s organisation by Mackay Golf Club Head Professional Jeff Reid, staff and members, Brazel says the golf course is blessed with a great variety of golf holes and ways in which to play them.
“A couple of reachable par 5s, a couple of short par 4s including one reachable par 4 where you can make three or seven,” he adds.
“It’s that sort of golf course that you really need to think your way around. You can play it probably four or five different ways depending on what the wind’s doing and how your game’s feeling.
“You can navigate a way around it if you’ve got the tools.”
