Fifteen of the top 20 on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit will tee it up at Rich River’s East Course starting Thursday, the second time this season the tour has visited the mighty Murray River.

It is the strongest field to have gathered on the Murray for a PGA Tour of Australasia event in more than 35 years and, as the penultimate event of the season, will have a significant influence on the final Order of Merit standings.

With $400,000 in total prize money and 2,000 Order of Merit points to be distributed, what transpires over 72 holes at Rich River may decide which three players earn DP World Tour cards at season’s end.

And it is not the first time that Rich River has served as a gateway to Europe.

In the mid-1980s, the Rich River Classic not only welcomed the best Australian players of the day but concurrently staged the Australian PGA Seniors Championship.

That drew the likes of five-time Open champion Peter Thomson and 1969 US Open champion Orville Moody, Moody winning twice including a 10-stroke win from Sydney’s Harry Berwick in 1987.

Although its spot on the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule was short-lived, the Rich River Classic also crowned wonderful champions.

The Australian Open champion in 1982, Bob Shearer finished eight strokes clear of Ian Stanley in the maiden iteration in 1986, the likes of Rodger Davis, Mike Clayton, Steve Elkington, Mike Harwood and Ossie Moore all finishing inside the top 15.

In 1987, a first round of 10-under par 62 set Peter Senior up for a two-stroke win from Mike Ferguson, Harwood, Peter Fowler and Wayne Riley also featuring prominently on the leaderboard in a field that also boasted Roger Mackay, Peter O’Malley and American Mike Colandro, who would go on to win the New Zealand Open later that year.

Its positioning at the end of the Australasian schedule and coming before the start of the European Tour season made the Rich River Classic an attractive proposition for the tour’s best players.

It was abandoned in 1988 when its spot on the calendar was given to the ESP Open in Canberra, necessitating a change in format.

The Australian PGA Seniors Championship remained and was joined by the inaugural Australian Trainee Rich River Classic.

That championship was played at Rich River for the ensuing 34 years and gave those completing the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program an opportunity to compete for one of the world’s richest trainee prize purses.

Players this week, however, are playing for points that have the potential to change their careers.

A two-time winner already this season, David Micheluzzi has a 228-point lead from NZ Open champion Brendan Jones, the winner this week to receive 380 points.

Less than 90 points separate Andrew Martin (fourth), Tom Power Horan (fifth) and Michael Hendry (sixth) while New Zealand PGA champion Louis Dobbelaar will be looking advance even further after climbing 77 spots to No.23 by virtue of Sunday’s win.

Fresh from his reconnaissance mission to Augusta National ahead of his debut at The Masters next month, amateur Harrison Crowe (pictured) returns to defend the title he won in dramatic fashion 12 months ago.

About the NSW Open

The New South Wales Open Golf Championship has a rich history that dates back to 1931. First held at Manly Golf Club as a ‘close’ format championship – open only to residents of NSW – Charlie Gray claimed the title after a 36-hole play-off with Tom Howard and Sam Richardson. In 1958, the tournament became a truly ‘Open’ event, attracting the cream of Australia’s golfing elite along with appearances by some of the best players in the world. The NSW Open Championship honour role includes many of Australia’s finest golfers including World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, and Peter Thomson; legends such as Norman Von Nida, Eric Cremin and Frank Phillips and amateurs including five-time champion Jim Ferrier, Owen Beldham and Tony Gresham. Other prominent names to lift the trophy include Ian Baker-Finch, Ted Ball, Billy Dunk, Peter Lonard, Jack Newton, Peter O’Malley, Craig Parry, Bob Shearer, Ian Stanley and Jason Scrivener.

How to follow

For live scoring and the latest news visit www.nswopen.com. Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on the Golf NSW, PGA of Australia and Golf Australia social media channels.

Instagram: @GolfNSW, @GolfAust, @pgatouraus
Twitter: @GolfNSW, @GolfAust, @PGAofAustralia
Facebook: @GolfNSW, @GolfAust, @PGATourAus
Official hashtag: #NSWOpen

How to watch

You’ll be able to catch the action of the final three rounds from Friday-Sunday, broadcast live, on Fox Sports and Kayo.

TV times (AEDT)

Round 2: Friday, March 18
12pm-5pm (Kayo)

Round 3: Saturday, March 19
12pm-5pm (Fox Sports & Kayo)

Round 4: Sunday, March 20
12pm-5pm (Fox Sports & Kayo)