Felton enters the tournament in top form, having overcome torrential weather and a playoff to win the TPS Sydney in March, following on from a top-10 finish at the Queensland PGA Championship in January.

A Perth native, Felton’s previous success at the course may prove pivotal across the weekend.

“Obviously I have a nice track record around here,” said Felton, who was runner-up in 2019 and tied fifth in 2018.

“I enjoy playing here, it’s a pretty tough track so you’ve just got to stay patient and play within yourself.”

A good start to the year means Felton is within striking distance of the top three in the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit standings, and a DP World Tour card is firmly in his sights.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on my mind,” Felton added. “Obviously the top 10 guys here, it’s all kind of on their minds, but we’ve got a job to do this week and it’s to try and play the best you can.

“If that results in a win then we will take it and move forward but we will just try and jump that Order of Merit as much as we can.”

Felton credits linking up with mental coach Sean Lynch for his turnaround in form, which comes after a two-year period in which he struggled to play consistent golf.

“It’s been a pretty good couple of months for me. I transitioned over to working with Sean Lynch, my new mental coach, so we’ve been working pretty hard on a few select areas and I feel like my game is trending in a nice direction,” said the 27-year-old.

There could be plenty of movement in the Order of Merit standings this week, with just $37,000 separating Andrew Dodt in third and Jordan Zunic in 10th, while Anthony Quayle (fifth) and Brad Kennedy (eighth) will be absent due to commitments on the Japan Golf Tour, giving the remainder of the top 10 an opportunity to make a move. The first-prize cheque in Kalgoorlie is $36,000.

For the first time this season, the top three finishers receive playing cards for next season’s DP World Tour.

Queenslander Jed Morgan is a runaway leader at the top at $188,000 after his win in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in January and it is unlikely that he will be shifted from that spot with only the Nexus Advisernet WA Open and the Northern Territory PGA Championship remaining on the schedule over the next two weeks.

Both those events carry $150,000 prize pools giving the chasers a slim chance of making up the necessary ground.

This week’s WA PGA is the 2021 edition of the event after border restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced its postponement late last year. Felton’s win in the 2020 edition was almost 17 months ago.

But with golf back on the radar, restrictions relaxed and the Graham Marsh-designed course in picture-perfect condition, the players are all genuinely excited about the prospects of the next few days as the season approaches its climax.

First tee-offs on Thursday are at 6.40am and the third and fourth rounds will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, starting at 2.30pm on Saturday and midday Sunday AEST.

Click here for Round 1 tee times