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The stalwarts of Australian golf are set to grace the fairways of The Lakes Golf Club and RACV Royal Pines Resort when they continue their support of the Australian summer of golf.

Reading like a who’s who of the Emirates Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship honour rolls, Rod Pampling, Greg Chalmers, Robert Allenby, Peter Senior, Peter O’Malley and John Senden will play both tournaments this year while Peter Lonard, Peter Fowler and Craig Parry will only tee it up in Sydney.

They each come into the field after solid seasons overseas. Peter Fowler has won on the European Seniors Tour whilst recording a further five top-10 results. Meanwhile Peter O’Malley has enjoyed two top-15 results on the same Tour.

Rod Pampling and Greg Chalmers each played 20 events on the PGA TOUR with Chalmers recording a top-10 at the Zurich Classic.

As a group, these nine players have claimed the Australian Open and PGA titles an impressive 24 times and while they may have an average age of 51 years they are not to be factored out of predictions for this year’s championships.

“The continued support of Australian golf by this group of gentleman is appreciated by the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia. But more importantly by the golf fans; these are some of the most loved Aussie players who still draw a crowd every time they tee it up,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“But they aren’t in the field just for fun; they are serious contenders to win the titles. Peter Senior has proven time and again that age is just a number and no barrier in golf. He won the Stonehaven Cup last time it was played at The Lakes and recently recorded a hole-in-one on his way to shooting 11-under in a Ladbrokes Legends Tour event.”

It’s not just fans who enjoy watching these players in action. They have also had a strong influence on the up-and-coming Australian golfers who are equally as excited to play in the same field as these greats.

“You only have to talk to the new crop of players coming through and they’ll happily tell you of the influence these guys have each had on their careers,” Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said.

“They tend to be great role models and the lessons they pass on to the next generation, especially about winning these big events, is invaluable.”

The Emirates Australian Open will be played at The Lakes Golf Club from 15-18 November and is headlined by Cameron Davis, Cameron Smith and Matt Kuchar, Keegan Bradley, Brendan Steele and Brandt Snedeker. Tickets are on sale at ticketek.com or visit golf.org.au/ticketing for more information on available options.

The Australian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Royal Pines Resort from 29 November – 2 December and is headlined by Marc Leishman, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston and defending champion Cameron Smith. General admission is $25* when purchased at the gate or via Ticketmaster.com.au with children, 16 and under, granted free admission when attending with a paying adult. For more information, please visit championship.pga.org.au

Canadian Mike Weir landed in Australia yesterday set to compete in the Emirates Australian Open this week before heading north to the Gold Coast for the first time to tee it up in the Australian PGA Championship from 30 November – 3 December.

The 2003 Masters champion will have made three appearances on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia in 2017 following his debut at the Fiji International back in August.

Playing in two of the biggest tournaments Australia has to offer was a simple decision for Weir who still has a strong affinity with the country dating back to the early stages of his career.

When asked what brought him back Down Under, his answer was simple.

“The love of the game really, I love golf and I love to compete,” Weir said.

“I cut my teeth on this Tour early in my career and played a lot down here in the early and mid 90’s and made some lifelong friends down here.

“It’s good to see some familiar faces and get back down, and I just love the golf down here. The golf courses are wonderful and some of the best in the world.

“I’m really looking forward to playing. The Gold Coast was one spot I never made it to when I was playing down here so I’m really looking forward to getting up there.”

Weir’s addition to the Australian PGA Championship makes it three former Masters winners with the reigining champion Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott teeing it up at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

“I’ve known those guys (Adam and Sergio) a long time; I’ve played and competed with them for a long time so it’ll be good to see them,” added Weir.

“I remember talking to Adam at The Presidents Cup about the golf course a little bit and the talent and what a great venue it is so I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Canadian served as an Assistant Captain alongside Geoff Ogilvy to Nick Price for the International Team at this year’s Presidents Cup and said it was fantastic for world golf to see the likes of Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia entered in the next fortnight of golf in Australia.

“I think it’s great for the game of golf that guys like Jordan and Sergio come and play and support golf around the world,” added Weir.

“Kind of like how Gary Player did when he became a sort of global golfer, it’s great to see some of the top players really growing the game and playing around the world.

“It’s good for the development of the players, Jordan winning down here is a great example, when your game can travel anywhere that shows the mark of a really great player.”

On his form, Weir admittedly said he hasn’t played a top level tournament since finishing tied 35th at the Fiji International in August due to a niggling injury.

He did, however find time to fit in a tournament to shake off the rust ahead of the Emirates Australian Open this week.

“I haven’t played much since Fiji because I’ve had a bad back, my back was really bugging me in Fiji so went home and had an MRI and then was off for almost a month doing rehab,” added Weir.

“But I’m feeling healthy and fit now and I am playing better, I played an event at Pebble Beach just last week and played fairly well, it was good to get four rounds under my belt ahead of these next couple of weeks.”

Mike Weir will tee off in the Emirates Australian Open tomorrow at The Australian Golf Club at 12.30pm playing alongside Peter Lonard and American Zac Blair.

The Australian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast from the 30 November – 3 December. Played for AU$1.5million the tournament is co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.

Fan friendly tickets, priced at $25* and are available at ticketmaster or on the gate.

Limited corporate hospitality options are still available, please visit pgachampionship.com.au.

* Ticket prices include GST. Transaction fees apply. Please note the booking terms and conditions when purchasing your tickets through www.ticketmaster.com.au