PGA releases 2009 Summer schedule
BY iseekgolf.com | 28 Oct 2008
The PGA of Australia today released the refreshed PGA Tour of Australasia brand and new look 2009 “Summer of Golf” schedule for 2009, with the staging of seven events in six weeks, including the expansion of the Down under Nationwide Tour swing to three events with the addition of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open, the return of the Johnnie Walker Classic to Perth, and the Victorian Open and Victorian PGA Championship launching new naming sponsors.
With just enough time to recover over the Christmas break, the PGA Tour of Australasia Tour will kick off on January 29 at Spring Valley Golf Club for the revitalised Subaru Victorian Open, before heading back to Sanctuary Lakes Resort for the Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship.
From there the Australasian Tour heads back across the continent for the prestigious tri sanctioned Johnnie Walker Classic. From February 19 – 22 Perth will host the event at The Vines for the second time. It was last held in Perth in 2006 where American Kevin Stadler eagled the final hole to win by two shots from Aussie Nick O’Hern.
The Johnnie Walker Classic, boasting a prize purse of US2.5million, attracts some of the best names in world golf, and in 2009 will be headlined by the return of the Great White Shark, Greg Norman, to lead a stellar Australian contingent against some of the world’s best including England’s Lee Westwood and Paul Casey.
Winners of the Johnnie Walker Classic have included Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Michael Campbell, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and most recently Mark Brown of New Zealand. The event was a huge success when it was last played in Australia in 2006 and its return will be sure to have the eyes of world golf focused Down Under.
The Tour then moves back across to the East Coast for the first of the swing of three Nationwide Tour co-sanctioned events, the Moonah Classic, which will return after a memorable debut in 2008. Sydney’s Ewan Porter became the newest member on the US Nationwide Tour after claiming an emotional victory at the inaugural event. Porter, who led the tournament every day of the event won by an incredible seven shots, the third highest winning margin in Nationwide Tour history.
A week later the Tour travels across the Tasman to the beautiful Clearwater Resort in Christchurch for the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship. American Darron Stiles holed a six foot putt to par the final hole and claim the title in February this year after the tournament was reduced to 36 holes due to weather, edging out local favourite David Smail by just one shot.
In a further coup for the Australasian Tour, the Michael Hill New Zealand Open was announced today as the third Nationwide Tour co-sanctioned event Down Under, joining the Moonah Classic and the HSBC NZ PGA Championship. A new date for the NZ Open sees it move from December to February allowing players to compete in three Nationwide Tour events to start the year.
Last year’s first event at the Hills course, located in picturesque Arrowtown, just 30 minutes from the holiday paradise of Queenstown proved to be a winner with players and fans alike, providing a new and exciting challenge. Recent Irish Open champion Englishman Richard Finch walked away the victor, and hometown hero Sir Bob Charles captured the imagination of all present after shooting his age on four consecutive days. Almost 40,000 spectators flocked to the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in 2007, and the tournament promises to build significantly on that number this year.
The New Zealand Open has a very rich history as the longest running professional men’s tournament in New Zealand and with names including Peter Thomson, Ian Baker Finch and Michael Campbell on the trophy, it is now perfectly placed for delivering the next Australasian champion onto the world stage.
“The extension of our partnership with the Nationwide Tour to encompass the Michael Hill New Zealand Open is a very exciting development for the Australasian Tour and further cements the great relationship and invaluable player pathway we have developed over the past seven year’s since co-sanctioning began” said Ben Sellenger, Commissioner – Tour Division, PGA of Australia.
“With the release of the summer schedule, it is fantastic to see the size and number of our events continue to grow, and to see new corporate support being injected into the game. Last year saw record crowds and increased ratings across the board, and some of the strongest fields experienced in Australia for some time. With the continued success of Australasian’s abroad, and building on the success of last year, the upcoming PGA Tour season promises to again deliver some fantastic world class golf for the sporting public to enjoy.”
“There is currently a lot of reasons to be excited about the future of Australasian golf.”
Bill Calfee, Nationwide Tour president said; “The Nationwide Tour has enjoyed a very good co-sanctioning relationship with the PGA Tour of Australasia since we started coming to Australia and New Zealand in 2002. We have been very well received by the fans and the media and the competition has been quite exciting. The addition of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in 2009 will only strengthen this important early-season portion of the Nationwide Tour schedule and provide valuable exposure for both tours and their players.
2009 PGA Tour Of Australasia Summer Schedule
Jan 26 – Feb 1, Subaru Victorian Open, Spring Valley Golf Club, VIC, $110,000
Feb 2 – 8, Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship, Sanctuary Lakes Resort, Sanctuary Lakes, VIC, $110,000
Feb 10 IFQ for THE OPEN Championship, Kingston Heath GC, Melbourne, Victoria
Feb 16 – 22, Johnnie Walker Classic, The Vines Golf Club, Perth, WA, £1,250,000
Feb 23 – Mar 1 , Moonah Classic, Moonah Links Golf Club, Fingal, VIC, US$700,000
March 2 – 7, HSBC NZ PGA Championship, Clearwater Resort & Golf Club, Christchurch, New Zealand, US$600,000
March 8 – 14, Michael Hill NZ Open, The Hills Golf Club, Queenstown, New Zealand, US$600,000
Source – PGA Tour
