A new chapter in Australia’s rich history of professional
golf is about to be written as Darwin prepares to host the Territory’s first ISPS
HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia event, following the May announcement by the NT
Government and the PGA of Australia of the staging of the inaugural Northern
Territory PGA Championship.

The 2016 NT PGA Championship  – from 11-14 August – will represent much more
than just a new tournament week on a burgeoning ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of
Australasia schedule, which now boasts 17 events annually across five
countries.

It heralds what is anticipated to be the beginning of an
acceleration of growth in the game in a region that is best known for its vast
expanse of ancient lands, stunning landscapes and an unbridled potential.

The Territory is riding a wave of growth that is driving
its economy now and well into the future and is positioned to be a major
supplier to the Australasian region in industries such as mining, energy, raw
material and food production.

The PGA brings a high calibre sporting event to the
doorstep of these communities in addition to neighbouring Asian countries, who
are geographically closer to the city of Darwin than any other Australian
capital city.

The tournament is being staged at Darwin’s Palmerston
Golf Club where locals still recount stories of a 15-year old Queenslander
named Jason Day appearing in a schoolboy event at the club.

The memories of that appearance are fresh among those who
witnessed the World Number One’s already eye catching ball striking at such a
young age.

Sightings of players the calibre of Jason Day have been
rare occurrences in the Top End but there is an air of anticipation and
excitement that this inaugural event will be the beginning of something significant,
with a view to the Championship becoming an entrenched fixture and a major drawcard
event in the region for years to come.    

"Tournaments like the Northern Territory PGA Championship are
incredibly important to the ongoing success of Australian golf on the world
stage," Chief Executive of the PGA Tour of Australasia, Brian Thorburn
said,

"They provide the rising stars of Aussie golf with the opportunity to
hone their craft. Some of the our best players including PGA TOUR winners
Steven Bowditch and Marc Leishman began their careers competing in tournaments
like this."

Northern Territory PGA Championship entrant Jordan Zunic may be no
better example of someone seizing an opportunity of this nature when presented.

The young Wollongong star took leave from work in the Port Kembla Golf
Club pro shop in early 2015 to travel to New Zealand to attempt to qualify for
the NZ PGA Championship. A high finish in that tournament qualified him for a
start in the rich New Zealand Open the following week, which he duly won in quite
spectacular fashion with a tap-in birdie on the final hole.

Zunic was due back at work in the shop the following day but his
meteoric fortnight saw a dramatic change in his professional fortunes.

Spinoffs from his New Zealand win included exemption on the ISPS HANDA PGA
Tour of Australasia, invitations to play on the lucrative Japan Tour and eventually
a spot in the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Florida this year where he got to
soak up the experience of playing amongst the world’s best, including a
practice round with Jason Day. 

Others appearing in front of Darwin golf fans for the
first time in tournament action will include four-time European Tour winner and
2003 U.S. Open runner-up Stephen Leaney, former PGA TOUR player Michael Sim, the
ever-consistent Matthew Millar, as well as host of other PGA Tour of
Australasia winners including Steven Jeffress, Ashley Hall, Michael Long, David
Bransdon, Gareth Paddison and Mark Brown.

The younger brigade will be well represented by players
including Lincoln Tighe, Ben Eccles and Max McCardle, who has been in hot form
on the PGA TOUR China this year.          

For Darwin products Unho Park and Aaron Pike, the inaugural championship
will be a particularly special event in their careers. Both are proud and excited
about the opportunity that lies ahead not only themselves, but for Darwin and
the Territory to showcase its abundant tourism attractions, diverse culture and
economic potential to a wide audience. 

"Hosting the event in Darwin for the first
time will be a unique and valued experience for locals and visitors alike," Deputy
Chief Minister and Minister for Asian Engagement, Trade and Investment, The Hon
Peter Styles said.

"The Northern Territory is an open and
friendly place, with a multicultural population. As Australia’s Northern
Territory emerges as a destination of choice for investors, our government is
actively promoting growth and innovation with a range of business friendly
policies."

"There are investment opportunities to discover in many sectors and we
welcome the opportunity to help you prosper in the Northern Territory."

Singapore-based Park once represented the Northern Territory in his
junior days and now campaigns full-time on the Asian Tour.

The 42-year old will be making a rare but very welcome
start in an Australian tournament field and will return ‘home’ to Darwin seeking
to add the title to the four-consecutive Hong Kong PGA Championships won from 2011-14.
      

In an expansive gesture and with an eye to the championship’s future,
organisers have also made provision for 10 places in the field for players from
nearby Asian countries willing to make the short hop down to Darwin for the
inaugural event. 

"While the tournament will bring the PGA Tour of Australasia to the
Territory for the week, it is planned that it will continue to grow the game in
the area," Thorburn added.

"The Northern Territory PGA Championship will be a festival of golf
and we look forward to working with the Northern Territory Government and
Palmerston Golf Course on a successful first tournament and set a benchmark for
a long and successful future."

Tournament
facts

–         
11 – 14 August 2016

–         
Prize purse of AU$150,000;

–         
Attracts Official World Golf
Ranking points;

–         
Champion fully exemption onto
the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2017 season.

About
Darwin/Northern Territory.

–         
Darwin is Australia’s northernmost capital city, as close
to Singapore and Manila as it is to Sydney and Melbourne.

–         
Darwin’s tropical capital combines lazy
beaches, water parks, historic sites and blood orange sunsets with buzzing
markets and a pulsating nightlife.

–         
Eight national capitals, 36 trading ports, 69
international airports and nearly half a billion people are within four hours’
flight of Darwin.

–         
Darwin International Airport operates 24/7.

–         
The deep water Port of Darwin provides modern freight
handling facilities, a dedicated bulk liquids berth and links with an
intermodal road-rail network.

–         
The Territory is an iconic tourism destination – home to
two world  heritage listed National parks, Uluru Kata Tjuta and Kakadu
National Park

–         
NT’s population of
almost 250,000 includes local Indigenous Australians who have been custodians
of the land for thousands of years, along with people from over 100
nationalities, making this one of Australia’s most cosmopolitan communities.

–         
NT partners with foreign investment to develop their
significant mineral and energy resource precincts, much of which have yet to be
explored.