The 2019 Australian PGA Championship will be played from 19-22 December at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

A revision in scheduling will see the tournament close out the Australian summer of golf the week after the President’s Cup.

Since it’s move to the Gold Coast, the Australian PGA Championship has established itself as a festival of golf with a celebratory atmosphere which has been aided by its scheduling as the last event of the year.

Based on discussions with key tournament stakeholders including co-sanctioning partner, the European Tour, it was decided to close out the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season with the Australian PGA Championship resulting in the change of date from that previously announced in November 2018.

“The Australian PGA Championship, when it is played from 19-22 December, will top off a huge three weeks of golf in Australia when it follows the Emirates Australian Open and The Presidents Cup,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia.

“The Australian PGA Championship has been embraced by the players and sports fans for its fun atmosphere and we feel that it is important for it to be the final tournament of the year for us to deliver that experience expectation.”

Ben Cowen, European Tour Deputy Chief Operating Officer International, said: “The Australian PGA Championship has become known for its fantastic atmosphere, which is enjoyed by players and fans alike. This change in date, to round off an exciting three weeks of golf in Australia, can only add to the anticipation around the event.

“We look forward to working with our partners at the PGA of Australia on the Gold Coast once again to deliver an event which brings a fitting end to the season in Australia. while helping to start the 2020 European Tour season in style.”

The Australian PGA Championship week will begin with the Greg Norman Medal dinner on the Tuesday night where the highest achievers in the Australian golf industry are heralded for their accomplishments.

The fun then continues with the MyGolf Kids Day and the 16^th Hole Marquee party but the later date opens up the opportunity for people to enjoy Christmas celebrations at the golf. Going to a new level this year, additional festive activations will be added to the entertainment and corporate hospitality line-up in 2019.

While the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour players battle it out on course for the Joe Kirkwood Cup, the local Order of Merit race will also come to a conclusion with the winner of the Norman Von Nida Medal to be awarded following the Australian PGA Championship’s conclusion.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit provides a plethora of opportunities to the winner including full status on the European Tour, a start at The Open and various World Golf Championship tournaments.

“We have seen some thrilling conclusions to the Australian PGA Championship and the Order of Merit in recent years and feel that the atmosphere created on the Gold Coast is the perfect setting for them to be celebrated,” added Kirkman.

“This was one of the motivating factors in the change of date.”

The Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland, is proud to support the Australian PGA Championship which features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. Your perfect next event is in Queensland where live events combine with the most incredible destinations, and life is beautiful one day, perfect the next.

The Australian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Royal Pines Resort from 19 – 22 Dec with general admission to the Australian PGA Championship $25* when purchased at the gate with children, 16 and under, granted free admission when attending with a paying adult.

If hospitality is more your style, a number of different options are also available, for details please visit pgachampionship.com.au.

It’s been a big month for all abilities golfers – and another big milestone was reached this week.

On Monday’s International Day of People with a Disability, PGA Professional and Golf Australia’s inclusion senior manager Christian Hamilton proudly ticked off an important goal in the rise of inclusive golf at Top Golf on the Gold Coast.

Hamilton said there had now been 100 PGA pros around the country complete their PGA All Abilities accreditation.

"It’s a really significant milestone," Hamilton said.

"We have had the chance to showcase a couple of big events in the past month, but it’s just as important to make sure people new to the game can come and feel a part of the sport as well.

"It’s one of very few sports that doesn’t discriminate by age, gender or disability, and especially with the handicap system, people of all different levels can play and love the game.

"To have 100 PGA-accredited professional all abilities coaches around the country means we now have great coverage to reach people to come into the game.

"The accreditation itself is based on what inclusive coaching actually is, being able to recognise all levels of ability and tailoring programs to suit those different levels.

"But also we look at what an inclusive facility looks like. That’s really important to dovetail into our program because people need to have really good experiences at our facilities around the country so they keep coming back."

One of those coaches is Murray Lott, a professional at the Victoria Park facility where things have gone from strength to strength with the support of the Brisbane City Council.

Lott, a long-standing PGA professional, said he’d been fascinated to see, since earning his accreditation, the level of skill of golfers with a disability.

"But it’s also very noticeable how much fun they have during the sessions," Lott said.

"The golfers seem to have more fun than others who play the game … it’s really good fun to be involved with.

"We limit group size to 6-8 … we go through mainstream coaching aspects, fundamentals of set-up and short game, then keep it simple and to build a sense of accomplishment, at whatever level that is to different individuals.

"It’s also really noticeable how much input family members have … and that spawns another level of interest in the game of golf.

"I’ve found that it really brings a new group of people into the game, regardless of whether they’ve been golfers before or not. That fun is just an over-riding aspect of it all."

One of those having fun is Queenslander Graham Cox, a long-time golfer who turned away from the sport when injured, but has returned and is loving it.

"I got into the game a long time ago, in my 20s, and played right through until I lost my arm and then I didn’t play for nine years.

"I saw an amputee written up in the paper and I thought, `I’ll have a go at that again’ and I’ve been at it ever since," Cox beamed.

"Golf is fantastic, it’s good for anybody with any sort of disability, it puts your balance, concentration back in focus.

"Having these (coaches available now) is going to make a big difference. I’d say (to those considering), come and have a go. Anybody is welcome, we don’t care who they are."

Topgolf understand that the needs of their guest are broad and unique, so are committed to providing suitable access for all of guests. Wheelchairs, paragolfers, prams and walkers can fit in hitting bays and hitting mats in any bay can be replaced with half mats, creating space for a wheelchair, walker or paragolfer.

Jake McLeod’s mates are going to Europe next year on a holiday of a lifetime; after a dramatic final round of the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Sunday the 24-year-old Queenslander will now be able to join them.

It will be a working holiday for McLeod after he secured a one-year exemption on the European Tour by taking out the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, his rewards also include entry into two World Golf Championship events.

Only a month ago McLeod had given no thought to his position on the Order of Merit but a win at the AV Jennings NSW Open and third-place finish at the Emirates Australian Open yielded $156,375 alone and elevated him to top spot with just one event left to play.

Weekend rounds of 75-74 opened the door for Canberra veteran Matthew Millar to make a late play for the title but Millar’s tie for third and McLeod’s top-20 finish were just enough for the Hills International graduate to claim the card to one of the world’s richest tours.

Which in turn means a change of plans for his mates.

“I’ve got a few mates going to Europe next year on holiday, so they’ll have to venture over to wherever I am,” said McLeod, who finished $19,085 clear of Millar on $255,326 with Daniel Nisbet holding on for third.

“They said, can you please play over there so we can come and watch you. I said, I’ll try and do it.

“They’re going all over Europe. They go on those Sail Croatia cruises and all those sorts of things.

“I’ve got a mate up in Aberdeen, he came to watch at Dunhill so I’m sure he’ll come over to a couple of events and one of my good mates, Andrew Joyce, already lives in the UK.

“He’s pretty stoked. He’s already messaged me so he can come to a few events next year.”

It was fitting that as Cameron Smith further cemented his status in world golf with a second consecutive Joe Kirkwood Cup that McLeod, a former Queensland Boys teammate of Smith’s, would himself take a significant step torward.

In the space of four weeks McLeod will rise from 437th in the world to just outside the top-100 and says Smith’s rapid ascension has been an inspiration.

“It’s been great to see him play over the last couple years,” said McLeod, who won the Boys Interstate Series alongside Smith in 2013.

“My game’s still not there, but I think it’s pretty close.

“When you see guys like that that you’ve played with before do that, then I think it gives me the belief that I can do it as well.

“You just need the opportunities and now I’ve got the opportunities, hopefully I can have some good results over there.”

After a tense final round and ultimate two-shot win over Leishman, Smith perhaps saved his broadest grin for McLeod’s achievement.

“That’s awesome,” Smith said of McLeod’s Order of Merit triumph.

“I grew up with Jakey, played on a lot of state teams with Jakey, practiced endless hours when we were 15, 16, 17 years old.

“It’s good to see him going real good. I’ve always seen him as a really good player.

“He stuck to what he knows and he’s pulling it off, which is good for him.”

He has joined him in the history books and now Robert Allenby expects Cameron Smith to go on and conquer the world.

Smith became the fifth player to win back-to-back Australian PGA Championship titles since the format changed to four rounds of strokeplay in 1964, joining the likes of Allenby (2000-2001), Greg Norman (1984-1985), Randall Vines (1982-1983) and Bruce Devlin (1969-1970) to win in successive years.

A four-time winner, Allenby turned back the clock himself to finish the 2018 tournament in a tie for 16th at 4-under par, 12 shots behind the man he believes will soon follow in the footsteps of Queensland major winners such as Jason Day and Adam Scott.

“Cameron is an amazing player,” said Allenby.

“He’s got the whole package

“He’s awesome. He’s probably the next Jason Day.”

Poised to break into the top 30 on the Official World Golf Rankings following his second win at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, Smith has been thrust forward as the face of the game in Australia this summer.

As Day and Scott elected to skip Australia’s two tournaments and Marc Leishman played the World Cup and PGA Championship, for the past three weeks Smith has been asked to step into the breach.

Conceding that additional sponsor and media commitments is something he is still coming to terms with, Smith understands that such exposure is about to become the norm.

“It definitely has been a little bit different coming home this year,” Smith acknowledged.

“A little bit more attention on myself, making a commitment to doing media and other commitments as well.

“I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it. I haven’t let it stress me out, although it’s just something that I’m not used to.

“Last week (at the World Cup) was a big week for ‘Leish’ and I especially so I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it.”

Before he returns to his home in America to oversee the installation of a new barbecue, Smith will be on hand for the Cameron Smith Junior Classic at Wantima Country Club in Brisbane’s north and be back in Queensland for Christmas.

After stumbling early in his round on Sunday, Smith said it was the encouragement of his caddie Sam Pinfold and friends and family in the gallery – some of whom he shared a house with all week – that enabled him to turn a two-shot deficit into a two-stroke win.

“A couple weeks ago at the Aussie Open, being the highest ranked Aussie there probably put a little bit too much pressure on myself to play well and got off to a bit of a bad start,” Smith admitted.

“I played well over the weekend and salvaged a top 10.

“This week, I don’t do much after the rounds, I just go and hang out with the family and friends on the beach.

“When I was at the golf course I was still into it 100 per cent. I wasn’t just here to play, I wanted to win, but I think the stuff off the course definitely helped this week.”

Hosted by PGA TOUR winner John Senden and staged at Keperra Country Golf Club on Tuesday 4 December, the PGA Charity Day raised $46,000 for the Jarrod Lyle Family Trust Fund.

PGA Professionals rallied around the Lyle family with the field  featuring the 2017 and 2018 Australian PGA Champion Cameron Smith, Rod Pampling, Jake McLeod, Peter Senior, Steve Jeffress, Adam Blyth, Matt Guyatt, Daniel Nisbet, Anthony Quayle and many more.

Tournament host John Senden, who also played in the event, expressed his pride in the PGA family coming together for such a worthy cause.

“It was really pleasing to see how everyone came together from Jordan Speith and Rickie Fowler who donated items, to our PGA Professionals here in Australia giving up their time to help make a difference in the lives of Briony, Lusi and Jemma Lyle” said Senden.

“The support shown from golf industry suppliers, local golf clubs, each of the governing bodies as well as many golfing enthusiasts who were a part of the day, is a credit to our industry and shows just how close knit the game of golf really is”.

“Keperra Country Golf Club will always be my home. I have many special memories here at the club and for them to show their support to myself, the PGA and the Lyle family is really pleasing and I thank them dearly for their commitment”.

PGA (QLD/NT) State Manager Broc Greenhalgh indicated that since its inception in 2017, the annual event has certainly been a success.

“We are proud that the success over the past two years for this event has seen $85,000 raised for very worthy causes.  Having John in town this year and seeing the support his fellow professionals were giving him, makes initiatives like this well worth while” said Greenhalgh.

“Jarrod has had an impact on many of our lives both on and off the course, and it is now our responsibility to ensure his family are supported whilst also keeping the legacy Jarrod Lyle left as strong as possible”.

Jake McLeod stole the show however after Zak Raad from TX Civil and Logistics challenged him to cut off his famous ‘man bun’ in return for a $3,000 donation. When Cameron Smith then added a further $2,000 to the total, the deal for $5,000 to be donated to the Jarrod Lyle Family Trust Fund was done.

Cameron Smith has vowed to use his second Australian PGA Championship title to further assert himself on the world golf rankings after emerging triumphant from a drama-filled final day at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Sunday.

Starting the day three shots clear of good friend Marc Leishman, two early bogeys saw Smith relegated to second position after just four holes as Leishman made his move but the 25-year-old rallied late to win by two shots.

Admitting it was “weird” to deny Leishman the home title he craves so badly, Smith dedicated his win to close friend Jason Young who is battling a brain tumor and the family and friends in the gallery who urged him on to victory.

When Smith was victorious at Royal Pines 12 months ago it signified a breakthrough individual title and having had to wait a year to win again, is determined to establish himself as a regular winner on the US PGA Tour.

“One of my goals that I didn’t tick off this year was missing out on that win over there,” Smith said of a PGA Tour season that boasted four top-five finishes and three more top-10 finishes.

“I still played great over there. I put myself in position to win and didn’t quite pull it off a couple times, and that’s just going to happen when you’re competing against the best guys in the world.

“So it’s definitely a huge confidence boost for me. I went over to the West Coast and started off the year really strong and I’m sure I’ll do the same thing this year.”

Joining illustrious names in Australian golf to have won successive Australian PGA titles, Smith should move inside the top 30 in the world in the official rankings this week but has set himself an even loftier goal for 2019.

“I would love to get into the top 20 by the end of next year, it’s definitely the next goal,” Smith said.

“That’s the next big step for myself, to get myself in there and get myself in a lot of situations where I can win golf tournaments.

“That’s what I want to do.”

When Smith won the Joe Kirkwood Cup for the first time last year he was ranked 61st in the world and attributes his continued development not to any drastic changes but applying greater focus to each area of his game and preparation.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I’ve just stuck to my kind of process and goals,” said Smith.

“Stuff I have to do during the week, sticking to a schedule in my off weeks, which is something that I never did.

“All that stuff, and then getting stronger in the gym. I’m hitting the ball probably 10 metres further off the tee this year and it’s just allowed me to be a little bit more aggressive into the greens.

“It’s paid off.  I haven’t really done anything different, I’ve just done everything that I do better.”

Cameron Smith has become the first player to win successive Australian PGA Championships since Robert Allenby in 2001 after launching a stunning late comeback in the final round at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

A wayward drive on the first hole and a second bogey on the par-4 fourth saw Smith’s three-shot overnight lead quickly evaporate as close friend Marc Leishman took control of the tournament, chipping in on the fourth hole to assume the role of front-runner.

As Leishman made the turn in 4-under par Smith was fighting off nerves to be 1-over before three birdies in the space of four holes midway through the back nine turned the tournament on its head.

The pair both made birdie at the par-5 12th as Leishman maintained a two-shot advantage, a lead Smith was able to halve with a birdie three at the par-4 13th.

The first stroke of ill luck to befall Leishman occurred on the 14th when his putt for par did a complete lap of the hole and stayed out but it was at the par-5 15th where the golf gods truly conspired against him.

A wild drive by Smith appeared destined for the lake on the left side of the fairway only to bounce off a rock and forward into the left rough. His second shot flared out to the right and came to rest just behind the signage on the par-3 16th tee.

He was able to take relief from the signage and used his world-class short game to play a pitch shot to inside a metre, the successful birdie putt putting the 25-year-old one shot in front with three holes to play.

A Leishman bogey at the 16th doubled Smith’s lead and when the pair shared pars on the 17th the defending champion put one hand back on the trophy, reclaiming possession with a par at the last.

Smith’s former Queensland Boys teammate Jake McLeod also endured a nervous afternoon before being declared the winner of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit which brings with it a one-year exemption onto the European Tour and entry into two World Golf Championship events.

Marc Leishman was convinced it was going in the water; Cameron Smith thought it was so far left as to not get wet.

Tied for the lead of the Australian PGA Championship for the first and only time all day, the tournament favourites and World Cup teammates stepped onto the 15th tee for the 105th hole they had played together in the space of two weeks with their fate still undecided.

Sleeping on a three-shot lead overnight, Smith’s first shot of the day landed in a bush and necessitated a penalty drop and by the fourth hole, after a Leishman chip-in, the hunted had all of a sudden became the hunter.

By the time the pair made the turn in what increasingly became a tournament in two, Leishman had established a two-shot lead, an advantage he carried through until the 13th hole.

Smith’s birdie reduced the deficit to one and then a Leishman putt for par that horseshoed out of the hole at 14 swung the momentum the way of the defending champion, the Victorian challenger unable to counter.

Not only did Smith’s tee shot at 15 bounce forward off a grate to nestle in the left rough, his second finished alongside signage on the 16th tee, a local rule allowing Smith the opportunity to drop in front of the sign on the tee box and a better angle to the hole without penalty.

Deadly with wedge in hand, Smith played his pitch to inside a metre and made the putt for birdie, leaving Leishman to rue another major title on home soil that had slipped through his grasp.

“In Boston a couple years ago I was leading by a couple going into the back-9 and lost that, that one really hurt, but this is probably equally if not more than that,” said a clearly disappointed Leishman.

“I’ve always said to Audrey, if I have a bad day, just give me 10 minutes after the round and I’ll be good.

“This one might take 20.

“I had chances and I actually hit a few pretty good putts.  I hit a really good putt on 15 I thought was in and didn’t go in. Hit a good putt on 14, the horseshoe.

“I gave it my best crack and couldn’t quite get over the line.  That’s golf sometimes.”

When Smith was granted a free drop onto the 16th tee Leishman moved across to check with the rules official that he was proceeding in the correct manner, clearly aware of the significance of the ruling in the context of their duel.

“I wasn’t annoyed at all, I was just checking,” Leishman explained.

“Being a competitor, I wanted to make sure if he was dropping on the tee that’s where he was meant to drop it, not in the rough.

“No hard feelings at all there, I just wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing.

“I’m definitely disappointed at the moment, but you’re always happy for Cam. We had a good fight out there.

“At the end of the day, I did want to win. Gave it my best and just didn’t make it. He played good and credit to him.”

Knowing how desperately his good mate is to win one of Australian golf’s major titles, Smith conceded as he sat behind the Joe Kirkwood Cup that he couldn’t help but feel sorry to stand in Leishman’s way.

“It’s always hard going up against a mate and trying to win a golf tournament,” said the first player to successfully defend his Australian PGA title since Robert Allenby in 2001.

“I’ve been in this situation before and had it happen to me as well.

“It’s a weird one but I’m sure we’ll have a beer when I see him next and we’ll be back to being mates.”

Englishman Ross McGowan has put the celebrations for his course record 63 on hold as the Englishman waits to see whether his four-round total of 11-under par is in fact good enough to win the Australian PGA Championship.

Twenty-four hours after playing by himself in the first group of the day with only red-shirted volunteers for company, McGowan set a new low mark at the remodeled RACV Royal Pines Resort with nine birdies and no bogeys.

Starting the final round in 32nd position having only just made the cut on Friday, McGowan is in possession of the clubhouse lead in fourth position as front-runners Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Matthew Millar navigate the Royal Pines back nine.

His planned post-round beer had to be postponed but he will have plenty of opportunity to toast his stunning performance on his flight to South Africa at 10pm tonight, with or without the Joe Kirkwood Cup.

“I feel like a beer, but I’m not sure that’s going to be the route to go just yet,” McGowan said after making his course record official.

“I’ll probably watch a few holes and I guess get some lunch first and see what’s going on.

“Got to think about getting my flight later too.

“This place is brutal. Really happy to shoot 9-under and didn’t really see a score like that out there.

“When I hit a few irons close and made the putts, that made life a little easier.”

A 2-under par round of 70 on Saturday was most notable for its isolation, McGowan reminding himself that finishing as quickly as possible wasn’t the primary aim.

“I have (played by myself), but I think on a Sunday, so normally just try to finish as quick as possible,” said McGowan, whose best round on tour is a 60 at the Madrid Masters.

“On a Saturday, it’s hard to pace myself. Stupidly three-putted the second hole yesterday morning and realised then I’ve got to take my time and give myself a breather between shots because you leave yourself a two-footer back, you just feel like got to knock it in.

“You’ve actually got to step back, especially with these greens and the grain, and take your time.

“There was nobody else on the course except the volunteers, so I had a big clan of red T-shirts support me, it was brilliant.

“Every hole they were out there cheering me on, so it was good fun.”