Tasmanian Simon Hawkes has claimed a career changing victory at the Oates Vic Open at 13^th Beach Golf Links.

Hawkes finished regulation play tied for the lead with New South Welshman Harrison Endycott on 14-under 274 thanks to a birdie on the 72^nd hole.

It took just one playoff hole for the 29-year-old to record his first victory on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for which he earned full status this year at Qualifying School.

It’s a career making moment; Hawkes will now head to Perth for the European Tour and Asian Tour tri-sanctioned ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth. He will also enjoy playing in Australia’s largest tournaments for the next three years.

“I’m just flabbergasted right now, I kind of knew that I was playing well coming into the week,” said Hawkes.

“The thing about winning these sort of titles, they are forever, every year people are going to look at that and my name is going to be on it and they are going to be looking at my name hopefully the same way I’m looking at some of these names right now so it’s just unbelievable.”

He had the chance to finish the tournament in regulation with an eagle on the 18^th hole however he eventually made birdie, forcing a playoff with Endycott.

“The playoff hole was exactly like regulation, same wind direction exact same shot maybe just a little more right in regulation. Both of us probably didn’t hit out the greatest shots in the bunker and then Harrison played a pretty good shot out,” added Hawkes.

“I actually felt quite calm, for me I’d achieved beyond any expectations I set myself this week and I just thought whatever happened it was going to be a bonus.”

Hawkes began the year with a goal of finishing high enough at Qualifying School to see him safely in to most fields in the 2018 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season.

“I went to Q-School this year hopefully trying to get as much status as possible, then I looked at trying to get into Perth by finishing top-5 there and fell short. Then my other option was to win one of the first two events and somehow it manifested that way so it’s great.”

While Endycott finished runner-up, Queenslanders Anthony Quayle and Cory Crawford finished tied for third at 11-under the card.

Local hope Ben Eccles made a charge up the leaderboard with a final round of 7-under 65 to share fifth place with Steven Jeffress at 10-under the card.

Victorians Matias Sanchez and Zach Murray were the highest finishing amateurs tied for 24^th at 6-under the card.

For final scores, visit pga.org.au.

For his win, Hawkes picks up AUD $117,000 and moves to the top of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.

For the full Order of Merit rankings, visit pga.org.au.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now moves to Lake Karrinyup Country Club for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth from 8-11 February.

For the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia schedule, visit pga.org.au.

Qualifying School graduate Simon Hawkes has claimed the third round lead at the Oates Vic Open with a hot round at 13^th Beach Golf Links.

Starting the day seven shots off the lead, Hawkes fired a course record equalling round of 8-under 64, his card clean of bogeys.

After blitzing the course, Hawkes was safely in the clubhouse at 10-under the card with a one shot lead before the overnight leaders even teed off.

“I kind of felt waking up that I got a bit lucky with the draw, and being a few back I kind of had to go and make a move this morning,” said Hawkes.

“It just happened today and it was good.”

In his first full year on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, a win tomorrow would be a huge boost to the 29-year-old’s career.

“I have no idea what to expect tomorrow or anything like that. I’m going to go out and play golf tomorrow. However the cards fall is however the cards fall," added Hawkes.

To be victorious on Sunday, Hawkes will need to overcome a cluttered leaderboard which includes veteran Steven Jeffress, a proven winner, who is just one shot behind at 9-under the card.

“Experience definitely helps but there’s a little thing called golf that gets in the road,” said Jeffress who won the 2014 Fiji International.

“I’m playing really nice but that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn up tomorrow and everything’s going to be nice again.

“If I can commit to my shots and let go, the game is there but you never know what’s going to happen. So experience is very important but it’s not everything.”

It was a mixed day on the course for Jeffress whose card featured two eagles, five birdies and three bogeys as he fired 6-under 66.

“I played, not poorly, you don’t have to do much wrong to go backwards. I was a little bit disappointed because I made a bogey at the 8^th hole from a good position and another bogey at the 4^th hole from a good position so it was nice just to get a birdie, sneak one in at the end,” added Jeffress.

“It was a tough day out there. The wind was howling and the greens were getting firm. I’m very happy with where I’m sitting with one round to go.”

At 8-under the card, Queenslander Cory Crawford and New South Welshman Harrison Endycott are tied 3^rd after shooting rounds of 69 and 70 respectively today.

A shot further back and rounding out the top-5 are New Zealander Kieran Muir, Victorian Ashley Hall New South Welshman Nick Flanagan and Queenslander Anthony Quayle who was leading after 54 holes but slipped backwards with a 2-over 74 today.

A 54 hole cut was applied this afternoon with the top-35 players and ties making the final round. Those players at 2-under the card or better will play on Sunday.

The final round of the Oates Vic Open will tee off at 7.25am with the leaders on course at 11.30am.

Queenslander Anthony Quayle has come out firing in the second round of the Oates Vic Open.

Queenslander Anthony Quayle came out firing in the second round of the Oates Vic Open and will take a one shot lead into the weekend.

Playing the beach course and starting on the 10^th hole this morning, Quayle opened with a birdie before making the turn at 3-under the card courtesy of an eagle on the par-5 18^th hole.

“The highlight of the day would probably be my eagle on 18,” said Quayle.

“I hit a really good tee shot and then a four iron into about 30 feet and holed it for eagle.”

On the front-9 everything looked to be going Quayle’s way as he scored four consecutive birdies before a double bogey from nowhere put an end to his run.

Unperturbed, Quayle made three solid pars to finish his round, shooting 6-under 66 placing him on top of the leaderboard with a two round total of 9-under the card.

“Honestly, I was playing pretty nicely and just misjudged the wind a little bit for my second shot and just pulled it a little bit,” added Quayle.

“I ended up in a pretty ordinary position and backed it up with another mistake. But apart from that it was still a pretty solid round and I finished pretty nicely.

“As much as you want to get frustrated after making mistakes like that and putting a pretty serious dent in your round, you need to try and get over it. I feel like I did a pretty good job of that.”

Competing on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia as a Professional for the second year, Quayle has emerged as a young talent to watch with many tipping a win is just around the corner for the 23-year-old.

Quayle recorded three top-10 finishes in 2017, was inside the top-10 for the first three rounds of the Australian Open before finishing in a tie for 19^th and then secured his Japan Tour card for 2018.

“I feel like I’ve had a few pretty solid rounds in big events now and big moments. I think this just keeps reiterating to myself that I can play well in those situations and in pretty good fields.

“I take confidence from it every time I can shoot that sort of score and you get that low throughout the round.”

Sitting one shot behind Quayle is Victorian Peter Wilson who fired 1-under 71 this morning while New South Welshman Nick Flanagan joins him courtesy of two rounds of 4-under 68.

“I just hit it really good to start the day. I had a bunch of short putts for birdie and other than that it was just pretty solid tee to green really,” said Flanagan.

“I only made one big mistake and made about a 20 foot putt for bogey on that hole so that was a big momentum kind of keeper.”

New South Welshman Jordan Zunic, Queenslander Taylor Macdonald and New Zealander Nick Voke are all tied fourth on 7-under the card after two rounds.

Victorian David Bransdon and first year Professional James Anstiss from New Zealand blitzed the Creek Course at 13^th Beach Golf Links to share the lead following round one of the Oates Vic Open.

Teeing off in rainy conditions this morning, Bransdon got his round off to a familiar start, his bogey free 8-under 64 the same score from his first round in last year’s tournament, also on the Creek Course.

“Maybe I should ask the organisers if we can play three rounds around here and just the one on the Beach instead,” joked Bransdon.

“I just seem to hole putts over there, I get over to the Beach and don’t hole as many.”

Bransdon comes to the Oates Vic Open off a strong performance in the 2017 Australian PGA Championship where he finished tied fourth.

He credits his solid form to his putting game; something he’s been working with Gold Coast based PGA Professional Matt Ballard.

“I’ve always hit it really well and my putter is still in reasonable shape from the Australian PGA Championship,” added Bransdon.

“I did some good work on my putting at the end of last year with Matt Ballard and basically worked on the same sort of stuff, the ball is rolling well for me.

“My big thing is stable knees and hips, he (Ballard) is constantly sending me videos and pictures of Jason Day and how well he does that, with constantly stable legs.

Watch these legs! #dontmove #sogood #stable #playoff #bestinbusiness @PGATOUR @FarmersInsOpen #TorreyPines #jasonday pic.twitter.com/Jm0X9gpjjo

— Matt Ballard (@_Balata_) January 29, 2018

“The putter for me is what it comes down to, if you have 36 putts you’re never going to shoot 8-under. It’s a pretty easy task for me, if I hole putts I’m generally going to shoot a low score.”

When asked how he’ll approach tomorrow’s round on the Beach Course, Bransdon said he’ll be aiming to manage the 18 holes and avoid getting himself in to trouble off the tees.

“There’s probably less drivers around the Beach Course, you sort of plod your way around a bit more. It’s probably a little more generous off the tee on the Creek Course, you’ve got to be a little more wary of more dangers around the Beach and position yourself more around there,” added Bransdon.

Anstiss, in just his second tournament as a Professional was also bogey free around the Creek Course in posting 8-under 64 for a share of the lead.

“I played pretty solid, I hit a lot of greens and putted really well,” said Anstiss who made his Professional debut at the REBEL Sport NZ Masters.

“I hit 16 greens, made a couple of 15 footers and hit a couple close, it was pretty stress free I didn’t really do much wrong.

“I had one really good par save on our 9^th hole which was the 18^th and the rest from there I made pretty easy for myself.”

Fellow New Zealander Nick Voke, also in his first year as a Professional, is one shot further back following his round of 7-under 65 also on the Creek Course.

“It’s nice to get off to a good start, as a rookie Pro it’s really important for me, I don’t exactly have all the finances in the world so it’s imperative to get off to a good start and hopefully I can kick on with it,” said Voke who spent most of his young golfing career playing in the NCAA with Iowa State.

“I was 5-under through seven (holes) and then coming in I was hitting solid shots, it was a little on the scrappy side but every putt I saw went in.”

Victorian Peter Wilson joins Voke on 7-under par while star amateur David Micheluzzi, Taylor Macdonald and Harry Bateman sit in a tie for fifth at 6-under par.

Defending champion Dimi Papadatos, Matthew Giles, Tyler McCumber, Ash Hall, Matt Jager, Jordan Zunic and amateur Matias Sanchez are tied for eighth on 5-under par.

The Oates Vic Open will be played from 1-4 February at 13th Beach Golf Links with a field of 144 players vying for a prize purse of AUD $650,000.

The winner will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and become fully exempt on to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the remainder of this season plus a further two years.

Those unable to make the trip to 13th Beach Golf Links this week will still be able to watch the weekend’s action with the return of the Oates Vic Open live stream through PGA TV.

For more information on the broadcast schedule, visit pga.org.au.

For round one scores, visit pga.org.au.

Round two begins at 7:10am with David Bransdon off at 12:20pm and James Anstiss off at 1:10pm

For round two tee times, visit pga.org.au.

Bryden Macpherson knew it wasn’t time for niceties.

He picked up the phone midway up the 15^th hole of the final round of the European Tour’s stage two Q-school in Spain last year and confirmed a flight to China that he’d had on standby.

It wasn’t the done thing. But the Victorian simply didn’t care. He’s beyond worrying what others think.

Hours later, the 27-year-old was winging his way to Nanjing for the continuation of the China Golf Tour season. He finished third in China that week as he pushed towards his goal of qualifying for the European Tour, already happily with the Q-school route in the rear-view mirror.

This is how Macpherson lives. On the edge. Taking chances. Never letting either the dream die, nor past foibles stand in his path.

As it turned out, he ultimately lost a playoff in Xiamen to China’s Bowen Xiao – and the money list title to Korean Rak Hyun Cho by roughly $190 over the course of the season.

But as you sit and listen to Macpherson talk as he prepares for the Oates Vic Open, you realise it’s just a bump in the road, not a cause for any radical restructure of a career that has only begun to realise the great promise it has threatened since he won The Amateur Championship in 2011 to set up a Masters appearance in 2012.

“I was near a good European card and that would have made 2018 look different … but it was so close to happening,” he said in a rare moment of reflection.

“What you can’t do is step back and say, `I’m not good enough’. That’s not a valid concern.

“What you can say is that, `I am good enough, it just didn’t fall my way’, go away, get better and come back next year and win it by $10,000.

“It’s such a small amount that luck plays a part and I got on the wrong side of it. Hopefully I won’t next time.”

Macpherson has twice played full seasons on the Web.Com Tour, but has not yet managed to take the next step to the US PGA Tour he hopes to one day call home.

He says it has twice all but bankrupted him.

Yet he refuses steadfastly to give up the dream, including “settling” for playing on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia.

The second time he fell from Web grace, as recently as the end of 2016, Macpherson briefly delved into other jobs to get a taste of the “real world”. But even then, and without a tour to play on, he wouldn’t bury his dream.

“I had nothing at the start of last year, no status anywhere, including Australia. I haven’t had time to commit to the Australian Tour, which is a pity because I love playing at home,” he said.

“But it feels to me like I’m in my comfort zone and I’m a person who tries to be tripping over myself forwards trying to get out of my comfort zone – which is evident in my career so far.

“I have no problem taking leaps, even if you normally get burnt, because that’s how you grow as a person. I wouldn’t change my experience for anything.”

One of those leaps came at the expense of his long-time coach and even father figure Denis McDade, who Macpherson partially credits with keeping him on track even through the darkest moments.

“I’m a loyal person by nature. I stick to what I do and my word until someone proves to me otherwise,” Macpherson said.

“I’d been with Denis for 10 years and he’s been like a second dad to me. He’d been there the whole way through and I’m forever grateful. But even he agreed something needed to be radically different and that was when we decided to find someone in the US.

“A bit over a year ago, I started working with Craig Harmon, who keeps insisting that he’s just as good as his brother Butch, it’s just he hasn’t had good players yet,” joked Macpherson, who’s hopeful it signified a change of luck.

“At the start of last year, the PGA Tour China wasn’t really happening and the Chinese guys involved with the China Golf Association saw an opportunity to jump in and do things on their own terms,” he said.

“So the CGA Tour materialised out of nowhere and then even more out of nowhere, they gave a two-year winners’ exemption retroactively, so it took in the 2015 winners (PGA Tour China) of which I was one.

“I found out on the putting green at a mini tour event in China. So suddenly I had somewhere to play. I had no money, but that’s just the Web tour – unless you succeed, it bankrupts you, which has happened to me twice.

“I wasn’t spinning my wheels in terms of my golf with Craig now, but the China thing came out of nowhere and I was like, `Let’s go play golf!’.

“It felt like I got a break for the first time – which was amazing, because at the end of 2016, I could very easily have been in a potentially bad time, a bad headspace where you could pack it up and off you go. It forced me to look at other ways to make income and that’s a good experience.

“But the thing about golf is it’s not only about who’s good enough, but who can keep going.

”You need breaks and to get lucky, maybe to come down and scrape the barrel of bankruptcy before you take off again and get back in the game.

“Whether it’s a good result at the right time, or a golfing angel helping you out, or friends, whatever … you need to find a way to keep going.

“So when China started up around May, they put together a schedule with a promise, but not much else. It was pie in the sky, and a lot of guys were put off by it, but I was just happy to be playing golf again. I went over there, was second in the first event, won the second event and suddenly I’m not bankrupt again.

“I was thinking about it in the cab back to the hotel after that event, about how close you can come to giving up – but I don’t want to say that because I move on, I never give up.

“But I was close to choosing a different path in my life, whatever that may be, and having things feel bad and tough, but managing to pull yourself out is a great feeling and what it’s all about.”

There’s a strong chance, unless you were at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney in 2013 when he finished fourth behind Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott, that you haven’t had the chance to watch Macpherson.

But rest assured, if he’s around the mark this week at 13^th Beach, it will make one hell of a story – and one he’s extremely confident is only partially written.

Well you are only as good as your last start and Tour Insider has started 2018 with a bang!

Matt ‘The Rug’ Millar was tipped and won the REBEL NZ Masters a couple of weeks ago and got us off to a winning start.

TI is not so arrogant that he won’t acknowledge he received some assistance from others in the first event of the year but fair to say picking a winner when all players were off a spell is a great achievement.

Enough of the gloating and on to this week, the 2018 Oates Vic Open.

What a great event this one is and Golf Victoria should be congratulated on the initiative and success of the event over the years. 2018 shapes to be no different with the course in great shape and all participants keen to get the year started well. TI certainly enjoys seeing the new faces at this event each year.

Ben Eccles – The Greyhound

(Not sure if anyone calls him that neither does TI but I still feel it is appropriate) One of the locals who should know the course well. Ben travelled far and wide in 2017 to hone his craft and at some stage that will pay dividends. Already a winner on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia as an amateur, it won’t be long before this guy holds up another trophy.

Matt Millar – The Rug

You could pick this bloke every week and you wouldn’t be disappointed. When he hits form he usually holds form for a long period of time. He’s won a couple of smaller events on Tour and will be keen to break through in one of the big ones.

Adam Bland

Blandy has been a money making machine in Japan in recent years and has done enough to qualify to play on the European Tour in 2018. His finish to 2017 was exceptional and he will surely start as one of the favourites if he can re produce that form at 13th Beach this week.

Deyen Lawson

Another who had a very good 2017 and a local that plays his golf at Curlewis. Regular caddy and partner Ali Orchard will be playing in the Ladies tournament so he will need to get the win without her help on the course but I’m sure some of her home cooking for the week will have him primed for his first win on Tour!

Ben Campbell

Good recent form has the Kiwi ready to get his first Tour win. He was beaten in a playoff in back-to-back events last year in his homeland and has secured an Asian Tour card for 2018 so his confidence should be sky high. TI would always say to gamble responsibly but this guy has some good odds, massive value. 

A great field this week and TI is keen to see how in form amateur David Micheluzzi performs, although small in stature he gives the ball a good ride.

A couple we haven’t seen much of lately is young Pros Ryan Ruffels and Brett Coletta and they will be keen to impress as well as newly turned Professionals Cameron John, Ruben Sondjaja and Nick Voke.

Hard to call these guys veterans but with the young Pros mentioned above it makes the likes of Nick Cullen, Brad Kennedy, Matt Griffin and Aron Price look old, but they can all well and truly match it with the young punks!

Should be a great event!

Barwon Heads is once again thriving with Australian and international golfing talent as 13^th Beach Golf Links plays host to one of the most unique Professional golf tournaments in the world, the Oates Vic Open.

Quickly growing in popularity both with players and golf fans, the 2018 Oates Vic Open provides a veritable golfing feast with Golf Victoria running a mens and womens tournaments sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour (ALPG) and Ladies European Tour (LET) across 13th Beach Golf Links’ Creek and Beach Courses. 

Matthew Griffin, winner of the men’s event in 2014 said the tournament is one of the highlights on his calendar and not just due to the fact he returns as a former champion.

“There’s just a really nice feel around the whole event, you get to see a lot of old friends from the ladies side that you haven’t seen in a while and obviously it’s always great coming back to a place where you’ve won before as well,” said Griffin who was quick to praise the efforts of Golf Victoria for continuing to grow the popular tournament.

“They’ve done a great job in building the event, it just gets bigger every year. There are some tournaments around that are going the other way so it’s good to see this one growing each year.

“The whole idea of tournament golf is to get more people playing and if these kinds of events can draw more people to the game through participation and sponsorship it’s definitely a win for us as players because it obviously means we’re playing for a bigger prize like this year.”

In 2018 the tournament has increased the prize purse by AUD $300,000 meaning both the men and women are competing for a total of AUD $650,000 each, it also makes it one of the most sought after prizes on the ALPG and LET circuits.

Defending women’s champion Mel Reid, a six time winner on the LET said the equal amount of money on offer is not only good for the tournament, but for women’s golf as a whole.

“I think it’s great. I think that’s kind of the way that golf needs to go to a certain degree,” said Reid.

“There’s lots of equality chat going on at the minute all over the world and the prize money for the guys is obviously much more on the PGA TOUR than the LPGA. 

“I don’t find that very acceptable and so it’s nice to have a tournament where it is equal. It’s great for the girls and great publicity for us. I hope that the guys enjoy us being around as well. 

“For me, there should be way more tournaments like this at the same venue. I think it would be fantastic for golf.”

As Griffin mentioned, the Oates Vic Open provides an opportunity for both sides of the draw to catch up in what is an otherwise hectic playing schedule.

Hannah Green, who began her first full season on the LPGA Tour at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic last week finishing tied for 11th, made a mad dash from the Bahamas to Barwon Heads to tee it up.

“It’s a pretty special event I think to have both the men and women play. My boyfriend Jarryd (Felton) also plays so that’s a factor in coming back too and it’s a great course and great venue, we’re pretty lucky,” said Green.

Felton, a two-time ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia winner, and Green will no doubt be looking to replicate Richard Green and Marianne Skarpnord’s famous victory in the 2015 Oates Vic Open when the engaged couple took out their respective tournaments.

Green and Felton last played a Professional tournament against one another at last year’s Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open.

“This year I’ll be travelling a lot and Jarryd will be too so we won’t be crossing paths that many times. To be able to play any event on the same course is pretty cool.

“I was thinking two years ago the purse was so different and it’s just getting better and better. Obviously the prize money is a factor to come and play too but it’s just such a great event and it’s nice to see the interest growing in it.”

The Oates Vic Open will be played from 1-4 February at 13th Beach Golf Links with a field of 144 players vying for a prize purse of AUD $650,000.

The winner will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and become fully exempt on to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the remainder of this season plus a further two years.

Those unable to make the trip to 13th Beach Golf Links this week will still be able to watch the weekend’s action with the return of the Oates Vic Open live stream through PGA TV.

For more information on the broadcast schedule, visit pga.org.au.

For round one tee times, visit pga.org.au.

Dimitrios Papadatos was crowned the 2017 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year and this week begins the first of two title defences in 2018 when the Oates Vic Open tees off from 1-4 February at 13th Beach Golf Links.

Papadatos began his 2017 season with a two shot victory at 13th Beach Golf Links at last year’s Oates Vic Open before he won his third Professional title at the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie leading to him being named the Player of the Year during the Greg Norman Medal Dinner at the Australian PGA Championship.

“I was very happy to receive that, I obviously had a good start to the year with a couple of wins and a good finish in New Zealand,” said Papadatos.

“It wasn’t the back end of the season that I was hoping for but I’ve done a bit of work in the last month so hopefully I can turn it around this week.”

After a busy international schedule playing predominately on the European Challenge Tour as well as events on the Asian Tour, the 26-year-old took some well deserved time off before beginning his 2018 season this week.

“I’ve been pretty relaxed, I haven’t been playing the best, I did a bit of fishing over Christmas hopefully that will help me out,” joked Papadatos.

“I well and truly switched off for a couple of weeks, but the last month or so has just been trying to sort everything out in my full game, a bit of exercise and some more practice, just trying to iron out the creases.”

The New South Welshman is no stranger to defending one of the bigger events on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia having his first Professional victory at the 2014 ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open; he says being a defending champion doesn’t mean much when the next tournament rolls around, particularly this early in the season.

“There are some expectations given I won last year and that sort of stuff but I don’t really worry about that too much,” added Papadatos.

“Everyone starts off the same, especially this early in the year. Each week is a fresh week.”

The Oates Vic Open signals Papadatos’ first competitive hit out of the year and while he admittedly says he hasn’t hit peak form, he’s looking forward to seeing how he measures up prior to a run of five tournaments on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“It’ll be good to see where my game is at this week. I didn’t have any smaller events leading in to this week and this one’s a pretty big one to start off with so you want to be pretty sharp straight up,” added Papadatos.

“It’s a tough field this week and tough courses but hopefully my game is on.”

The Oates Vic Open is one of the most unique Professional golf tournaments in the world with both the men and women playing on the same courses in the same week.

This year the tournament’s growing popularity has seen the prize money increased to AUD $1.3 million to be split equally between the men and women.

“It’s great and with the increase in prize money the tournament’s only going to get bigger and bigger,” added Papadatos.

“There are grandstands out here this year so I’m expecting some pretty big crowds which is always nice as a player, I’m looking forward to it.”

The Oates Vic Open will be played from 1-4 February at 13th Beach Golf Links with a field of 144 players vying for a prize purse of AUD $650,000.

The winner will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and become fully exempt on to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the remainder of this season plus a further two years.

Those unable to make the trip to 13th Beach Golf Links this week will still be able to watch the weekend’s action with the return of the Oates Vic Open live stream through PGA TV

For more information on the broadcast schedule, visit pga.org.au.

The final two rounds of both the men’s and women’s 2018 Oates Vic Open will be televised internationally in 77 countries and up to 286 million households thanks to the continued partnership between Golf Victoria and the Ladies European Tour.

Australian golf fans won’t miss out either, with the weekend’s action to be broadcast on Fox Sports on February 3 & 4.

Up to 4.4 million households across Australia will be able to tune in to the third and final rounds this weekend as a delayed telecast on Fox Sports 7 from 9:30pm (AEDT) on Saturday and Sunday.

The partnership, in conjunction with German agency U.COM Media and Australian Network Productions, will take the closing stages of Australia’s fastest growing golf tournament to viewers across Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Thirty-five per cent of viewers of the live stream came from overseas in 2016 and 2017, the high-demand a key factor in the decision to expand the coverage of the Oates Vic Open this year.

As well as broadcasting seven hours of live golf across two days, the partnership will see a 47-minute highlights package produced that encapsulates the drama and storylines from the 2018 Oates Vic Open.

The announcement comes ahead of the seventh staging of the combined men’s and women’s Oates Vic Open and the sixth consecutive trip to 13th Beach Golf Links in Barwon Heads.

Golf Victoria would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of Australian Network Productions, the team responsible for covering the Oates Vic Open since 2013.

For the last five years, ANP has been instrumental in bringing the action from Barwon Heads to family, friends and golf fans around the world, culminating in the birth of the HD live stream in 2016.

Grant Dodd and Alison Whitaker, who have been key components of Channel 7’s Australian golf coverage in recent years, will again anchor the 2018 broadcast from 13th Beach.

Walking the fairways side-by-side with the players and fans will be on-course commentators Sandy Mackenzie and Mark Hayes, plus a variety of special guests.

Golf fans in Australia and around the world without access to any of these channels can again tune in to the HD live stream of the third and fourth rounds at PGA TV, vicopengolf.com and on Golf Victoria’s Facebook page.

The final 36 holes of the men’s and women’s events will be accessible live on mobile, tablet and desktop devices from approximately 12:30pm (AEDT) on Saturday and 11:00am (AEDT) on Sunday until the close of play.

Television coverage will vary from region to region, but the HD live stream means you won’t miss a shot from 13thBeach.

“For the first time the Oates Vic Open will be broadcast live on television across the globe – showing the world just what a perfect destination Victoria is for golf and holidays,” said The Hon. John Eren MP, Victoria’s Minister for Sport.

“It really will highlight the work the Andrews Labor Government has done to secure our reputation as Australia’s home of golf – we’ve already locked in the Presidents Cup in 2019 and the Australia Open in 2020 and 2022.”

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood is also looking forward to the Bellarine Peninsula being broadcast across the globe.

“News that the 2018 Oates Vic Open will be broadcast around Australia and internationally is a tremendous boost for our region, providing worldwide exposure to the spectacular 13th Beach Golf Links and surrounds,” said Mayor Harwood.

“It also further stamps the tournament as a truly world class sporting event. With a strong field of leading male and female players, the Oates Vic Open will be must see golf, and the City of Greater Geelong is proud to be a sponsor.”

The Oates Vic Open is the only golf tournament of its kind around the world, where the men’s and women’s fields compete on the same courses, at the same time, for an equal share of the prize money.

In 2018, the combined purse will be $1.3 million, meaning the men and women will each battle it out in Barwon Heads for a share of $650,000.

Find out more about the 2018 Oates Vic Open at www.vicopengolf.com.

In an incredible show of support from the players, all 10 Oates Vic Open champions from the past five years will tee it up at 13th Beach Golf Links in 2018.

With a further six past champions entered into the men’s field, the 2018 Oates Vic Open will be stacked with players looking to recreate history.

On the women’s side, reigning champ Mel Reid is back to defend her 2017 crown along with her English counterpart and 2016 winner Georgia Hall.

Hall missed the chance to go back-to-back last year and will be making her first trip back to Barwon Heads since the win that catapulted her professional career.

Reigning men’s champion Dimi Papadatos will no doubt be looking to recreate his two-stroke triumph of twelve months ago, while Kiwi Michael Long will be out to recreate the week in 2016 that delivered his seventh professional win.

A repeat of 2015’s fairy tale is also on the cards from February 1, with Victorian Richard Green and Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord also signed on to tee it up at their home layout.

Then engaged and barely a week after moving into their new home at 13th Beach, the duo pulled off the unthinkable by winning the men’s and women’s events less than an hour apart.

Skarpnord held off a strong challenge from then 18-year-old Su Oh on the final day to record a three-shot win – but the nerves lingered for the Norwegian.

Playing in the day’s penultimate group, Green reeled in the overnight leaders with a closing 67 to set up a playoff with fellow left-hander Nick Cullen.

With his fiancée and the new women’s champion watching on from behind the 18th, Green stuck to the script and eclipsed Cullen on the second sudden death hole to ensure it was double delight for the couple.

Australia’s highest-ranked female golfer Minjee Lee has committed to returning to the scene of her 2014 triumph, the World Number 19 still the only female to win the Oates Vic Open as an amateur.

Meanwhile, fellow 2014 champion Matt Griffin will be hoping to add another home state open to his resume after a strong 2017 season on the Japan Tour.

The first pair to claim the Oates Vic Open at 13th Beach make up the perfect 10, with Victorian Stacey Keating and NSW’s Matt Giles also set to tee it up.

The group of remaining former men’s champions is headlined by 1991 winner Robert Allenby, who is one of only two amateurs to take out the title along with Brad Lamb (2000). Lamb is currently listed as an alternate.

Two-time champ Stephen Leaney (1995, ’97) will be joined by fellow former champs Scott Laycock (2001), GarethPaddison (2004), Ash Hall (2009) and Scott Arnold (2012) in this year’s field.

When Giles and Keating saluted five years ago in 2013 the combined prize pool was $300,000 shared equally between the men and the women.

That figure had doubled to a combined $600,000 by 2016, before the Oates Vic Open became a $1 million event last year.

In 2018, the men’s and women’s field will battle it out for the biggest purse in the event’s history – a cool $1.3 million.

Not only will there be more money up for grabs than ever before, the 2018 Oates Vic Open is sure to attract the largest viewership in the tournament’s history.

Returning for the third straight year, the HD live stream of the final two rounds will again be broadcast on PGA TV, www.vicopengolf.com and Golf Victoria’s Facebook page.