Irishman Paul Dunne is hoping a first visit to Australia can wield a debut European Tour victory at this week’s Australian PGA Championship.

Having endured an
incredible 2015 season, during which he led The Open after three rounds as an
amateur, played a vital role in Great Britain & Ireland’s Walker Cup
victory over the USA and then turned pro and secured full playing rights on The
European Tour by coming through all three stages (playing 14 rounds in the
process) of the Qualifying School, Dunne is more than ready to embark on his
first full season in the paid ranks.

Given the whirlwind nature of his year, it is somewhat fitting that he will play his final event of 2015 some 10,000 miles from his native Dublin at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on Australia’s stunning Gold Coast.

"I’d love to give
myself a chance to win this week. I feel like every week I’ve played since I
turned pro has been quite pressure filled and I’ve kind of had to play well
every week and then once I got my card at the Q School I sort of relaxed too
much and ended up missing the cut last week," said Dunne

"The mental
pressure was lifted a little bit and I think that hurt my performance in a way,
so I’m going try to find a way to put some pressure back on myself this week
and see if I can play well and have a chance come the weekend.  I really
don’t like taking weekends off, so last week was a bit frustrating for me, so
hopefully I can play better this week."

Given the whirlwind
nature of his year, it is somewhat fitting that he will play his final event of
2015 some 10,000 miles from his native Dublin at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on
Australia’s stunning Gold Coast.

"This is my first
time in Australia. I’ve heard great things about it, so really wanted to come
down and experience it."

"It looks like it’s
going to play quite windy this week. The greens are quite small, there’s lots
of run-off areas and they are quite firm as well.  So I think kind of
pinpoint accuracy with your short irons is going to be key this week."

The 23-year-old
will have to overcome a strong field which includes American Ryder Cup star
Brandt Snedeker and Sweden’s David Lingmerth, who is now an Affiliate Member of
the European Tour as he seeks to make his Ryder Cup debut for Europe in 2016.

The Australian
challenge is spearheaded by the likes of PGA TOUR stars John Senden and Robert
Allenby, while Greg Chalmers will seek to successfully defend his title.