The Lincoln Place NSW Senior Open has received a significant boost on the eve of the Championship with the NSW Minister for Sport, The Honourable Stuart Ayres MP, announcing The NSW government will support the tournament for the next two years.

The Minister, flanked by the Member for Albury, Mr Greg Aplin, said the State Government’s commitment would assist Golf NSW in cementing the tournament’s place as one of the premier events on the Ladbrokes Legends Tour.

The 2018 Championship will feature Australian legends like Peter Senior, and a host of other notable players including Craig Parry, Peter O’Malley, and Mike Harwood, who are all former winners on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, competing for a much sought after state title.Two-time Australian Open Champion Peter Fowler will also be making his tournament debut.

“This is a chance for the people of Albury to walk the fairways and watch some of the game’s finest up-close, and I can’t think of a better incentive for the golfing community to want to be involved with than this," Minister Ayres said.

Member for Albury, Mr Greg Aplin, said the Lincoln Place NSW Senior Open had become an important fixture on the Albury sporting landscape and he was delighted to welcome the tournament back to the region in 2018.

“The 2017 event was an absolute success, so we are naturally thrilled Thurgoona Country Club is again hosting this important event on the golfing calendar.

"The NSW Senior Open provides a fantastic opportunity for players aged over 50 to compete in a top-level Championship event that we are proud to host, ” Mr Aplin said.

CEO of Golf NSW, Mr Stuart Fraser, said the organisation was grateful for the support Minister Ayres and the NSW Government is providing to the Championship. He added the combination of a sizeable prize purse and the high calibrate of athletes would make for a competitive event and a real treat for followers of the sport.

“The assistance of the State Government will ensure the tournament’s future for this year and next.

“Golf is the number one pastime Australia-wide for those aged over 50, and tournaments like the Lincoln Place NSW Senior Open assist us in promoting the game as the ideal recreational activity for young and old.

“Fans can walk the fairways beside their favourite player and will no doubt see golf at it’s best,” Mr Fraser said.

Gavin Kirkman CEO of the PGA of Australia, which owns the Ladbrokes Legends Tour said, “On behalf of our professional golfers I would like to commend the NSW government on its commitment to golf. The PGA’s aim is to make elite golf available to sports fans all over Australia and through the support of Golf NSW and the state government we are delighted to be heading back to Albury and the Thurgoona Country Club.”