With an increased prize purse this year, players will be competing for $70,000, with the two leading PGA Professionals after three rounds also earning an exemption into the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland from November 21-24.

Vying for an incredible fifth title in 15 years, defending champion Matt Docking will undoubtedly be the player to beat as he seeks to return and improve on his showing at RQ 12 months ago.

“Playing the BMW Australian PGA Championship is an amazing experience, especially to play in front of such huge crowds,” said Docking.

“Although I didn’t play as well as I had hoped last year, it certainly gives me strong motivation to get back there again this year.

“Heritage Golf and Country Club is a really strong layout and with softer conditions due to recent rain, I expect that to win this year you will have to have a good ball-striking week.”

The BMW Australian PGA Championship is not the only lure for competitors this week.

The leading two males from the 2024 PGA Professionals Championship will represent Australia in the 2025 Four Nations Cup and the leading two females from the event will represent Australia in the 2026 PGA Women’s Cup.

The National Final will be played over three days (Tuesday to Thursday) on Heritage’s St John course, which is also the home to the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

PRIZE MONEY: $70,000

LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au

THE COURSE

The St John course at Heritage was originally designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2000. It plays as a par-72 and, measuring more than 6,500 metres, can prove a challenging layout.

Designed in an American parkland style, the St John course is also the home to the Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where earlier this year winner Matt Griffin demonstrated that despite the challenge, there are certainly plenty of scoring opportunities.

HEADLINERS

Matt Docking: Four-time and defending champion, Docking is the Head Professional at Murray Downs Golf Club which is the host of this year’s NSW Open. Last year Docking came from behind with a final round 67 to triumph by one shot. His win also earned him an invitation to this year’s Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour of Australasia where he made the cut.

TJ King: Leading for 50 holes in last year’s championship before Docking overtook him, TJ King is a two-time runner-up at the National Final. The Assistant Professional at Mt Coolum Golf Club, King is a two-time Australian representative at the Four Nations Cup. Despite still receiving the exemption into the BMW Australian PGA Championship the past two years, King will be hungry to go one better this year and etch his name onto the trophy.

Lachlan Wood: Making waves on the All Abilities circuit in recent years, Hervey Bay Teaching Professional Lachlan Wood has taken his game around the world to the highest level of All Abilities golf. Winner of the 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship and the Tin Can Bay Pro-Am on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Wood knows how to close out a tournament and will be one to watch at The Heritage.

Grace Lennon: While Lennon can be found coaching at Melbourne Golf Park more than playing these days, her playing credentials make her a player to watch this week. Winner of the 2023 Athena against some of the top WPGA Tour of Australasia players, Lennon also travelled to the US this year to represent Australia in the Women’s PGA Cup, helping her country to a third-place finish.

Larry Austin: A regular on the touring circuits in Australia and Asia in the 2000s, Queanbeyan’s Austin will be hoping to turn the clock back this week at The Heritage. Having competed in multiple Australian Opens and indeed several national opens around the world, Austin has more experience playing in strong fields than a lot of his competitors this week.

Katelyn Must: Based on the Sunshine Coast, Must has built her own successful golf coaching business over a number a of years. As a player, Must still plays in a number of WPGA Tour of Australasia events, making the cut at Webex Player Series Hunter Valley earlier this year, and was the Australian Team captain at this year’s Women’s PGA Cup.

Scott Barr: Former Asian Tour player and multiple pro-am winner, Barr is a regular on the PGA Legends Tour. Based in WA, Barr also played in the last two events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, recording a tie for 21st at the WA PGA Championship to demonstrate that his game is still in incredible shape.