West Australian Rick Kulacz knows it takes a skilled approach to tame the formidable Kalgoorlie Golf Course.

At 6768 meters the par-72 Championship course is among the longest in the country, making the home of the 2020 TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship one of the most challenging on the Australasian calendar.

Stunning green fairways lined with bold red dirt are a welcome distraction from the test that lies ahead but those who know what is to come, like Kulacz, plan their attack carefully.

“The course tests all aspects of your game and makes you think where you want to place the ball off the tee and on the greens which I feel is always the case with Graham Marsh-designed golf course,” Kulacz said ahead of the 8-10 October tournament.

“Kalgoorlie Golf Course can play extremely tough when the wind picks up. There are a few generous fairways in some areas but I feel the most difficult part about the course is the greens. They have a lot of slope and quite a few of them are raised so the run offs are quite steep.

“If you miss the green in the wrong area you’re going to find it hard to salvage par at times. Keeping the ball out of the desert is ideal and then attacking certain pin positions from there.”

Sixty of Western Australia’s best amateur and professional golfers make up the field for the non-Order of Merit ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia event which is to be played for $80,000 in 2020.

For the 15 amateurs, some of whom will get their first taste of the course and a 54-hole professional tournament, it’s an experience Kulacz believes they will remember for a long time to come.

“This event is an opportunity for a lot of young West Aussies to have some exposure at this level, especially the amateurs,” he said.

“There are still players in this field that have performed on the global stage and it will take three great days of golf to finish on top of this field.”

Kulacz, a two-time Asian Tour winner, will tee it up alongside PGA TOUR winner Michael Long, European Tour victor Brett Rumford, two-time ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia winners Daniel Fox and Jarryd Felton, all of whom are expected to challenge at the top end of the field.

After almost eight months with limited playing opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of a professional golf tournament to the state is a welcome reprieve for those who make their living on the fairways.

“The opportunity to still have the WA PGA being played is a huge bonus,” said Kulacz, who played his most recent professional tournament in February.

“We all know what effect COVID-19 has had on the country and especially the sports world and I can speak for all of the players that we are just grateful to have an event to play.

“We’re extremely thankful to the PGA of Australia, TX Civil & Logistics, the main sponsors and all of the organisers for getting this event up and running. It’s been such a long break and everyone is itching to get back into tournament play.”