PGA TOUR winner and 5-time ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia champion Andre Stolz will make his return to top-level golf tomorrow when he tees it up in the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

The 2009 Victorian PGA champion took a break from the game after wrist surgery just under five years ago but after recently dusting off the clubs is set to return to competitive golf starting this week.

“At the start of 2014 I had wrist surgery which sort of knocked me out of the game, I tried to practice after that for a little while but gave it away,” said Stolz.

“It’s been pretty much four and a half years but about five or six weeks ago I randomly started wanting to play golf again so I went and hit a few balls and played a couple of pro-ams then I thought I was going alright.

“I’m still a bit rusty but I feel like I’m getting better every week since I’ve been playing, I’m just going through the process now of remembering what to do out there. I’m enjoying the challenge of trying to figure it all out again.”

Now 48-years-old, the natural assumption is Stolz’s return to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia is a tune-up for a tilt on the Champions Tour, the elite over-50’s Tour in the world.

But Stolz says while he certainly has no concrete plans to contest in America again, he’s keeping his options open to a possible debut once he ticks over-50.

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it (the Champions Tour) when I started six weeks ago, golf is such a tough game. But I love the challenge and the fight it presents to you, so I’d be pretty dirty on myself if I didn’t at least come out and play and see if I can re-ignite my interest for the Seniors Tour.

“In America it’s so tough to get on that Tour through Qualifying. Being a previous winner over there I’ve sort of got a few leg-ups, I can get to the finals of Q-School, but this is all information I’ve just found out in the last couple of weeks because I honestly wasn’t even looking at it.”

After achieving so much in the game, Stolz has always been a big supporter of emerging Australian talent; most notably he had a hand in the burgeoning career of 2017 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year, Dimi Papadatos who is well on his way to securing full status on the European Tour.

“Dimi and I probably spent about four or five years involved in golf pretty heavily when he was an amateur and good mates with my son,” added Stolz.

“It was great helping him out but it got to the point where I thought he needed to go and do his thing for a while. We’ve been in contact again over the last 12 months, I’ve spent a lot of time either on the phone or playing with him since he came home.

“I saw my role as mainly structuring off the course, it wasn’t so much about how they’re swinging the club it was more about getting their life in order and having a good plan and process on how to get from where you are now to where you want to be.”

As a former member of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia’s tournament players council (TPC), Stolz still cares deeply about the state of his home Tour and has been closely following the game during his break from tournaments.

He says the number of co-sanctioned events with the European Tour and Asian Tour is invaluable to budding professionals in this country, and in some ways mirrors his own career.

“The Web.com Tour, or the Nationwide Tour back in the day when I was playing it, had a few co-sanctioned events in Australia and that’s how I played my way onto the Web.com and onto the PGA TOUR through there,” added Stolz.

“It’s absolutely awesome having the co-sanctioned events. Some players think of it negatively because we’re getting fewer starters and fewer players into them, but if you’re playing full-on and you’re in the top-60 players in Australia then you’re going to get into those events.

“If you’re not in those 60 players you’re probably not going to be good enough. I’ll be frank and honest and say work harder and get in there. It’s just the way it’s always been, there’s always been a line.

“But at least there’s a pathway and an opportunity for the guys to get on. I would always totally back the Tour anytime for co-sanctioned events.” Having been through the process himself, Stolz believes players need to make the most of the opportunities being presented by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“For a young Aussie, if you’re playing the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia now with all the extra co-sanctions, you can’t rely on one or two weeks but you might be getting half a dozen tournaments now through the year and that’s a great opportunity to play your way on to a bigger stage.

“It’s a long process but the main thing is golf gives you chances, some of the negative guys will say that it doesn’t but every now and then you get a chance in golf,” says Stolz.

“You either take it and it allows you to move to the next rung on the ladder or you don’t and you stay where you are. You need to be prepared to take it when you get the chance and that’s what the good players do.”

One of the lasting legacies of Stolz’s time on the TPC is PGA TV, the PGA of Australia’s live streaming platform which was officially launched during the 2017 Victorian PGA Championship and will broadcast the final two rounds live from RACV Cape Schanck Resort this week.

Stolz says PGA TV is invaluable for the exposure of professionals on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and tournament sponsors who continue to benefit from its growing audience.

“I was probably one of the first guys on the TPC to push it through; the other guys on there all knew how strongly I felt about it so we all made a big push.

“It creates great value for money for the sponsors of these events; they’ve been putting in a lot of money over the years.

“As soon as I realised the internet was going to be fast enough for live streaming I thought we’ve got to get on to this I’d love to have the whole Tour on PGA TV.

“I’m really glad the PGA found the way to finance it, it’s a great thing and gives the sponsors much better value for money than in the past. I’m stoked we’ve got it over the line. Hopefully we can keep growing the audience and improve the telecast as we go and throw some more money at it."

The Victorian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 11-14 October 2018.

Andre Stolz will tee off on Thursday at 12:37pm AEDT with Stephen Leaney, tee times are avaialble at pga.org.au.

Entry is free all week for spectators with a Family Day to be hosted at RACV Cape Schanck Resort this Sunday providing plenty of free entertainment for the kids.

Round 3 will be broadcast live on PGA TV powered by TaylorMade from 1pm AEDT Saturday 13 October with round 4 coverage beginning from 11am AEDT Sunday 14 October.

In addition to the winner’s share of the $100,000 prize purse, the champion will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and be fully exempt onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2019 season.

‘Extend, don’t defend.’

That’s the motto Queensland’s Daniel Nisbet is carrying into this week’s Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort on the Mornington Peninsula as he seeks to further add to his lead at the top of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.

A stellar field that includes Nisbet, James Nitties, Michael Sim, Nick Flanagan and former PGA Tour winner Andre Stolz will compete for a share of the $100,000 in prize money alongside amateur playing partners.

Heroes from other sports such as Billy Slater, Glenn Maxwell, Sam Groth, Jack Gunston and David Zaharakis will all play in the opening two rounds on Thursday and Friday as will Keith Schleiger fresh from overseeing construction on yet another massive season of ‘The Block’.

Almost $30,000 clear of second-placed Anthony Quayle on the Order of Merit courtesy of wins at the New Zealand Open and more recently the MMC Northern Territory PGA Championship, Nisbet arrives at Cape Schanck as the hunted but has no intention of letting the chasing pack close the gap.

“It’s a new position as a pro but I’m not trying to fend anyone off, I’m trying to extend it if I can,” Nisbet said after playing the front-9 at RACV Cape Schanck on Monday.

“That’s why I’m trying to commit to a full schedule in Australia. I don’t want to scrape it in, I want to blast it away.

“I’m trying to put myself in that position."

There are opportunities abound for the winner of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit including full status on the European Tour, a guaranteed spot in The Open Championship and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as well as berths in two WGC events, the Mexico Championship and HSBC Champions.

“I’m in a position now where I’ll get some pretty good starts regardless into bigger and better events, whether through the European Tour, Dunhill Links or maybe even WGC events.

“Obviously winning is going to be a different kettle of fish again but it’s just exciting to be up there competing.”

In addition to his No.1 status on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Nisbet sits 22nd on the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity standings.

But rather than trying to divide his time between the two tours, Nisbet intends to focus on the six remaining events on his home Tour’s schedule.

“I’ve always tried to support the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia as much as I could,” said the 28-year-old.

“I’ve always been someone who has tried to show this Tour the respect that it deserves by playing everything that my status and health allows me to play.

“The PGA Tour of Australasia has been good to me the last five years so I’m going to try and do everything I can to play all the events for the rest of the year. It’s just a matter of whether I play the Hong Kong Open the week of the World Cup, that’s the only question mark at this stage.”

Given that he had to withdraw from the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup in Japan after one round due to back spasms Nisbet is conscious of keeping his body healthy but is confident he can manage the workload.

“Because I’d taken a bit of time off I tried to squeeze a lot of practice in and might have overdone it,” he said.

“I don’t tend to over-practice normally but because I felt a little under-prepped I put in more time on the range and just tweaked my back a little bit.

“It made day-to-day life pretty uncomfortable and then trying to swing a golf club just made it worse and worse.

“I got some scans done just to be safe and there’s a little bit of inflammation in the disc but it’s nothing we can’t manage.

“I’ve got to be a little bit mindful of it but as long as I’m mindful of it we can manage it.”

RACV Cape Schanck Resort will host the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia in 2018 for the Victorian PGA Championship.

Located at the southern-most point of the Mornington Peninsula, RACV Cape Schanck Resort will officially open in winter 2018 with the Tour Professionals set to put the course through its paces from 11-14 October.

The 18hole championship layout, designed by Trent Jones Jnr, is sure to impress the players with its spectacular ocean views of Bass Strait, huge greens and tree-lined fairways.

“We are delighted to be hosting the 2018 Victorian PGA Championship at our world class RACV Cape Schanck Resort golf course,” said Craig Peachey, RACV Executive General Manager Leisure.

“This is the first time RACV has hosted the Victorian PGA Championship, and we are looking forward to bringing this PGA event to the Mornington Peninsula, and making this year’s tournament a truly memorable event for all Victorians.”

Being played in a pro-am format, the Victorian PGA Championship and its partnership with RACV benefits Victorians by not only bringing premier golf events to their home state but also allowing them the opportunity to tee up inside the ropes with ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia players.

Professionals and amateurs alike will be treated to a wonderful week on and off the course as they enjoy the world class facilities of RACV Cape Schanck Resort which include premier dining facilities, a luxurious day spa and world-class pool and gym facilities.

With over 180 rooms, this is the first luxury accommodation venue of its size on the Mornington Peninsula. The Resort’s 180-degree panoramic ocean views are unparalleled anywhere in Victoria.

“Local, interstate and international visitors alike will be treated to some first-class championship golf and the spectacular surrounds of the Mornington Peninsula coastline at our brand new luxury Cape Schanck Resort,” added Peachey.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia is pleased to be holding the Victorian PGA Championship on what promises to be an exceptional golf course.

“We would like to extend our gratitude to Craig Peachey and the team at RACV for hosting the Victorian PGA Championship at the prestigious Cape Schanck golf course, at the site of the new RACV Cape Schanck Resort,” said Simon Butterly, General Manager of Tournaments for the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“The Victorian PGA Championship has a long and proud history extending back to its first staging in 1924 and we look forward to seeing another chapter unfold at the new RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

“The PGA of Australia enjoys an excellent relationship with RACV with the Australian PGA Championship being played at RACV Royal Pines Resort for the past five years.

“RACV Cape Schanck Resort hosting the Victorian PGA Championship is an extension of this relationship that not only benefits Professional golf in Australia but provides a wonderful opportunity for Victorian golf fans to watch or play in a professional golf tournament in their home state.”

For more information on RACV Cape Schank Resort, visit www.racv.com.au.