Von Nida Tour returns to Adelaide for SA PGA Championship
IN: News | Von Nida | South Australian PGA Championship (2004) | Preview | 28 Apr 2004
Professional tournament golf returns to The Grange Golf Club after a long absence, with the staging of the 2004 Cadbury Schweppes SA PGA Championship which is to be held at the challenging Grange East course from April 29 - May 2.
The Championship is again a feature of the national Von Nida Tour, and is sure to attract a quality field, with many of Australia's best young professionals eager to play on this quality golf course. Many will remember that it was at this golf course that two of Australia's best performed golfers on the international stage, Greg Norman and Wayne Grady, recorded their first professional victories in the 1976 and 1978 West Lakes Classic respectively.
Since those wins by Norman and Grady, South Australia has earned a reputation for providing aspiring professional golfers with an ideal launching pad for their careers, and The Grange Golf Club is widely respected for its nurturing and development of young golfing talent. This forms a natural compatibility with the Von Nida Tour concept, which was introduced in 2003 to give Australia's emerging professional golf talent an opportunity to hone their game and skills in readiness for the national and international stage.
Rising South Australian golf star Wade Ormsby, is a product of the Grange junior program, and the valuable experience he gained on the 2003 Von Nida Tour, with several high finishes, has given him a great boost to his international aspirations on the tough European Tour.
PGA and Grange Club officials are delighted to be hosting the tournament at the prestigious venue. Mr Colin Shepherdson, Grange Golf Club President, says his club is enthusiastic about staging the Championship, and is pleased to be part of the national professional golf schedule.
"We consider our golf course and facility to be among the finest in the country, and we will be proud hosts of the Championship. I can assure the players that the course will be in peak condition, and will provide them with a stiff challenge. Combine this with our renowned hospitality, and it augurs well for a successful tournament."
South Australian PGA Chairman, Mr Ian Pritchard, is equally delighted at bringing the event to a high profile venue.
He says, "The PGA in this State has worked diligently to elevate the status of our Championship, to give our golfing community a second significant tournament to complement the highly regarded Jacob's Creek Open. The Grange Golf Club has given us the opportunity to further enhance our tournament, and for that we are very grateful. With some of Australia's best golfing talent on display at an outstanding facility, the Championship is certain to be a success. I urge the SA golfing public to come have a look, and you won't be disappointed."
Mr Gus Seebeck, Manager Operations PGA Tour, says "having the event at such a noted golf course is an ideal platform for our professionals to test their skills, and gives credence to the concept of the Von Nida Tour".
Naming rights sponsor Cadbury Schweppes continue their long association with the Championship, and newly appointed State Manager Mr Jonathon Brookes says his company is pleased to be involved again.
"PGA and Cadbury Schweppes have a strong bond, and the Championship gives us the opportunity to further demonstrate our commitment to golf".
The testing Grange East course will present a stern challenge to the professionals. Former top player turned course designer, Mike Clayton has revamped several holes. The changes include lengthening of the twelfth hole by moving the tee back some 30 metres, which ensures a premium on the tee shot. A trickier green now awaits players at the par four eighteenth hole, and strategic bunkering throughout the course completes the renovation package. Club officials are hoping to entice Clayton to play in the event in what could be described as " the proof of the pudding is in the eating" situation.
Players will need to have their radar tuned, as they navigate the tight back nine, where errant shots will be swallowed by the abundant trees that line the fairways. Officials are expecting a full field of 144 players, and some notables already entered include emerging star Scott Gardiner, who figured prominently in several Tour events over the summer.
2003 champion Stuart Bouvier will defend his title, and his accuracy and great short game will stand him in good stead, in a very even field. Throw in the likes of Steve Collins, Marcus Cain, Lucas Parsons, Grant Dodd, David Diaz and Andrew Bonhomme, and the Championship promises to be a close affair
2004 Von Nida Tour winners, Matthew Ecob (NSW PGA Championship) and Brad McIntosh (Toyota Classic) give the event some current form flavour. There a big wraps on McIntosh who turned professional last year after honing his game in the USA college system, with the University of Houston, the same college which helped develop the early skills of Fred Couples, Steve Elkington and South Australian Wade Ormsby.
The chance of a local victory would rest with players such as Adrian Percey, Gary Simpson, Brendan Chant and Adelaide based Swedish professional Jens Nilsson.
A win in this Von Nida Tour event would bring a two year exemption on the Von Nida Tour.
Officials are hoping for good spectator numbers, given that the final two days of the tournament will be played on a Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the Championship is by gold coin donation only, of which all proceeds will go to junior golf development.
As an added attraction, the newly innovated Holden Young Lions Coaching Team will be on hand throughout the Championship to provide free coaching clinics to the public, in particular junior players.
Source - PGA Australia
