While the Australian
PGA Championship will rightly dominate the headlines at home this week, nine
Australian golfers will have a big opportunity to advance their careers in
South Africa.

The European Tour co-sanctions
both the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort and the
Sunshine Tour’s Alfred Dunhill tournament and some of this nation’s up and
coming players will be at Leopard Creek Country Club vying for the €1.2 million purse this week.

Several places in the field in South Africa
were made available to Australians under an arrangement between the Sunshine
Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Nine locals opted to take up places in the
field led by one of the form players of 2016 Tim Hart.

Hart has been in good form all season with
three top-3 finishes on the PGA Tour of Australasia and will be hoping to take
that form to South Africa.

After finishing T3 at the Victorian PGA
Championship in February Hart then had a dramatic runner-up finish at the Coca-Cola
Queensland PGA in March.

While he missed an opportunity to both post
a victory and shoot a record 58 at the City golf Club in Toowoomba, the
disappointment only seemed to fuel the 27-year-old.

Another T3 result at the inaugural NT PGA
came in the midst of making nine straight cuts to finish the Australian season.

Hart will be joined in South Africa by
Western Australia’s Braden Becker, who was born in South Africa, as well as Ben
Wharton and Jason King.

Also in the field are Sydney siders Ryan
Bernard and Dale Brandt Richards and Alex Pitty from the NSW Central Coast.

Clayton Bridges and DJ Loypur round out the
Australian challenge.

In a strong field that includes major
winners Darren Clarke and Charl Schwartzel the experience of the week ahead
will be an important one in the careers of all nine Australian players teeing
up.

The Sunshine Tour boasts some excellent
local talent and the opportunity to measure themselves against golfers of an
international caliber won’t be lost on them.