A FIELD of 108 will contest the $200,000 National PGA Classic from Tuesday to Friday on The National’s reworked Gunnamatta course at Cape Schanck.
Players include Fortinet Australian PGA championship winner, Jed Morgan, a Queenslander, who is likely to earn playing rights next season on the DP World Tour in Europe.
Following this week’s 72-hole event at The National there are just three more tournaments – two in Western Australia in April and another in the Northern Territory in May – to complete the season.
The National has three courses at Cape Schanck and, while seen as world class, rarely hosts tournaments being primarily a member-based club.
The Gunnamatta course, opened in 2019 and previously known as the Ocean course, was reshaped by American architect Tom Doak. It has never hosted a professional tournament.
“Our members know how proud we are of the way our courses are presented each day so we had no hesitation in putting our hand up to host the first The National PGA Classic and play a part in supporting the professional golfers in this country who like many in our community, have been affected so much throughout the pandemic,” club captain John d’Apice said.
“We also see this as a wonderful opportunity to showcase the course to some of Australia’s best professionals.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the work Tom Doak and his team have done on the Gunnamatta course and I’m sure many of our members will enjoy seeing how the pros play it.”
Entry for each of the four days is free.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 5 April 2022
