Grady and Senior line up for Victorian PGA

BY iseekgolf.com | Australasian PGA Tour | 2002 Victorian PGA Championship | Preview | 27 Sep 2002

Champion Australian golfers Wayne Grady and Peter Senior will spearhead a star-studded lineup at this year’s Karcher-Spalding Victorian PGA Championship at the majestic Kew Golf Club in Melbourne from Thursday October 10-13 2002.

Grady and Senior will return to Kew for their second consecutive outing along with fellow Queenslander Peter McWhinney and Victorian Michael Clayton. Wayne Smith of Western Australia, New Zealand’s Gareth Paddison and 1983 New Zealand Open champion Terry Price will also tee up in the AUD$100,000 tournament.

Defending champion Nathan Gatehouse of Tasmania will make a return to Kew after his first professional victory 12 months ago, while a number of up and coming stars are expected to perform well to secure a solid start to their Australasian PGA Tour season.

Grady, Australasian PGA Tour Chairman and a long time supporter of Australia golf, believes the Victorian PGA is an important fixture on the Australian golfing calendar and has praised the commitment of all involved in making it a success.

“It’s tournaments like the Victorian PGA that are the bread and butter for a lot of Australian professionals and that’s why it’s great to see the Victorian PGA doing so well,” the 1990 US PGA champion said. "It would be great to see all the state opens and PGA events come back on line.

“We’re certainly working towards that at the moment and that comes about through a lot of hard work and cooperation between the organisations involved. There is a huge commitment from every organisation to ensure tournaments can be staged around Australia so we can foster and further the talent we have.”

Grady said it was a commitment of the PGA Tour and PGA of Australia to deliver a calendar of events that provided opportunities for young players looking to etch out a career at home before moving overseas for much of the year.

“With our place on the calendar and geographical position we’re tied to pretty short schedules for the big tournaments so there does need to be competitions for our guys, and four round competitions to keep players sharp,” he said.

“The PGA of Australia and PGA Tour are working really hard to make sure these events are on the calendar and are secure for years to come. It is an important stepping-stone for our players. We’ve got an unusual tour and that is half of our main events are co sanctioned.

“But that’s the way it is and the way we get more money for our players to compete. In that respect that is why we need to build events like the Victorian PGA up so we can allow guys to play themselves onto the main tour. That’s what we’re working towards.”

Grady admits the last year has seen difficult times for professional golf in Australia, but remains confident about the future and has reassured players that the new look professional golf circuit will be one that benefits everyone as best it can.

At last year’s Victorian PGA, Grady missed the cut at Kew but admits he’s keen to perform well this year given his personal commitment to play more events in Australia this season.

“When the Victoria PGA and chairman Tim Moore asked me to play I was more than happy to. It’s going to be a great week and I’m keen to play well because I want to play a lot more golf this summer.”

The Kew Golf Club is Victoria’s third oldest club and was formed back in 1894. The club was a foundation member of the Victorian Golf Association and has produced many star golfers over the years including former touring professional Paul Moloney and former Australian Amateur runner-up turned professional John Sutherland.

Kew is the first club in Melbourne’s north to hold the Victorian PGA Championship and is keen to repeat the success of last year’s event. Over the last 12 months Kew has undergone some slight course modifications.

A water hazard has been added to the par three 18th to enhance the playability and appearance of the closing hole while course designer and Kew member Tony Cashmore has improved the playability of several holes to enhance what has always been the jewel in Melbourne’s north.

Upgrades to the clubhouse have also enhanced facilities at The Kew Golf Club to ensure players, members and visitors are given ideal surrounds over the four days of competition.