International stars head to Australian Open and Australian PGA

PGA TOUR member Victor Perez leads a group of DP World Tour winners and rising stars who have been added to the field at two major Summer of Golf tournaments: the Australian PGA BMW Championship in Brisbane and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne.

Six Europeans will take on the best players in Australian golf, including Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davies, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, in two tournaments co-hosted by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World. Tour.

The Australian PGA BMW Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from 21 to 24 November will open the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule, followed by a visit to the famous Melbourne Sandbelt for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open (28 November – December 1). ).

The first contingent of DP World Tour names booked to Australia includes Perez, Britain’s Jordan Smith, Germany’s Yannick Paul, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, young Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and former Ryder Cup player Nico Colsaerts (Belgium).

They will play both the Open and PGA, with 2024 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship winner Wenyi Ding of China making his DP World Tour debut as a professional at Royal Queensland.

Perez said: “Australia is one of the best golf destinations in the world. You often hear PGA TOUR and DP World Tour players talk about tournaments and courses and how good the golf is.

“I competed in the BMW Australian Golf Championship in 2017, but not at Royal Queensland, and I have yet to play in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, so I can’t wait to come to Australia, enjoy the world class golf courses and see, what Brisbane and Melbourne have. as if off course.

“These two competitions have a great history, great lists of champions and I would love to have my name on one of those trophies. But it will be difficult against the Australians.”

Smith, who finished fourth at the Andalucia Masters at the weekend, is currently 13th in the Race to Dubai standings and is a former Portugal Masters and Porsche European Open champion.

“With the two Australian tournaments kicking off the 2024/25 DP World Tour, I’d like to get off to a hot start by challenging both the PGA and the Open and possibly winning either,” Smith said. .

“I know Australian fans love their sport. I’m expecting a lot of people, a lot of sun and three courses that will be a full test of our games.

“Kingston Heath, Victoria and the Melbourne Sandbelt are generally renowned around the world, so I can’t wait to experience both courses, while Royal Queensland’s reputation and profile is definitely growing among the DPWT players who have played it in recent years.

“Add in the great atmosphere that the BMW Australian PGA Championship has become known for and there is no doubt we are in for a great two weeks in Australia.”

Yannick Paul’s resume includes participation in the 2022 Mallorca Open golf championship, and his 2024 campaign was highlighted by a second place finish at the French Open earlier this month.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello, a frequent visitor to Australia and 2016 Ryder Cup representative, has risen to 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour victories to his name, the latest being the 2021 Open de Espana.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has cracked the world’s top 100 this year on the strength of three wins, a second place on the Challenge Tour and a recent T4 finish at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Wenyi Ding, who has only been a professional for a few weeks, is considered one of the best young prospects in world golf and will be making his first visit to Australia after finishing runner-up to Australian Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur at Royal Golf. club. Melbourne. He captured the 2024 AAC title in Japan in October.

A regular visitor to Australia, Colsaerts has won three DP World Tour events and returned to prominence this year with a runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

PGA of Australia general manager of tournaments and global tour relations Nick Desty said: “The ISPS HANDA Australian Open and PGA BMW Australian Championship benefit enormously from the strong contingent of international players who come to Australia each year through our partnership with the DP World Tour. .

“They expand our capabilities by giving the top Challenger PGA Tour players in Australasia the opportunity to challenge proven tournament winners.

“And their presence helps us bring more international attention to our tournaments, our Tour and our partners.”

The remaining DP World Tour players to be included in both the PGA and Open fields will be determined in the coming weeks.

The 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open and PGA BMW Australian Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, as well as NINE Network/9NOW.

Tickets for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open are now available online Ticketek

Tickets for the BMW Australian PGA Championship can be found on the website Ticketek.com.au