The current Australian and Queensland PGA Champions, Jed Morgan and Michael Sim at Nudgee today – photo PGA
The PGA Tour of Australasia moves just a few kilometres north for this week’s Queensland PGA Championship, the event following on from the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship held at nearby Royal Queensland last week.
The event has been switched from a very successful period at the City Golf Club in Toowoomba where it moved in 2009 but the decision to move to the Nudgee Golf Club located adjacent to the Gateway Motorway was prompted, amongst other considerations, by the rejuvenation of that course into a 36 hole facility.
Jim Wilcher, formerly with Graham Marsh Golf Design then Greg Norman Golf Design before branching out on his own, was commissioned to undertake the very important role of the redevelopment of such a strategically placed and historic golfing facility and this week the new layout gets its first chance to showcase itself to a wider audience.
The field is essentially the same which lined up last week at Royal Queensland, the notable excpetion being Min Woo Lee, but the new Australian PGA Champion Jed Morgan starts the hot favourite to continue the remarkable form he displayed when winning one of Australian golf’s most iconic titles by a massive eleven shots just a few days ago.
Many of the same players involved at the business end of the event last Sunday will again be considered favourites to perform well including not only Morgan but the likes of last week’s 3rd placed, Louis Dobbelaar, Brad Kennedy, Blake Windred and Jake McLeod will have their admirers and others will also come into consideration.
Essentially the defending champion, Michael Sim started and finished last week’s event well but it was not so good in the middle but he is a class player at best and the former PGA Tour player might improve further.
Sim won this event at the City Golf Club two years ago and with the 2021 staging cancelled he arrives at the Nudgee Golf Club as the current holder of the title.
Anthony Quayle is a former Queensland Open Champion, now plying his trade in Japan and last week he recovered from a slow start to finish 6th at Royal Queensland and should be considered as a chance.
Elvis Smylie was brought undone by a second round of 73 last week but finished the event strongly and now fit and healthy after struggles during his rookie season in Europe last year he will be one to watch.
Adelaide youngster Jack Thompson has already won an event on the PGA Tour of Australasia and did well enough last week for him to be considered a chance of extending his already impressive record in professional golf.
It might not carry the same hype or rewards as offered by last week’s Australian PGA Championship but, for many of those in the field, this week a victory will play a key role in the development or extension of their career.
There is interest therefore in that aspect but also interest in just how Brisbane’s newest golfing facility holds up so soon after its opening.
There will also be interest to see just how Jed Morgan backs up his domination of last week’s field but golf works in funny ways and the expected does not always turn out that way.
