PGA Tour of Australasia draws to a close at the National Golf Club
The National Golf Club’s Gunnamatta Layout – image PGA of Australia
Seven months after the 2005/2006 PGA Tour of Australasia began in Papua New Guinea last August, it reaches its climax this week with the staging of the National Tournament at the National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Played over the Tom Doak designed Gunnamatta layout, one of three courses at the complex at Cape Schank, the event brings to a conclusion the race for Order of Merit honours and, despite its relative minor standing in terms of prizemoney, plays a key role in determining the future of several golfers looking to either retain status on the PGA Tour of Australasia or take advantage of the benefits certain standings on the completed list offers.
The winner of the Order of Merit has already been determined. New South Wales golfer, Travis Smyth’s impressive run through the three recent events in New Zealand, allowing him to ascend to the top of the standings.
Smyth earned DP World Tour, Japan Tour and Open Championship playing rights courtesy of his efforts, in addition to his already established Asian and Australasian Tour status. Still, there are other benefits up for grabs this week.
Two cards for the 2027 Hotel Planner Tour (DP World Tour’s feeder tour) are on the line, as well as access to various qualifying for other tours later in the year.
As many as eight golfers have a mathematical chance of securing playing rights on the Hotel Planner Tour, although currently it is Victorians Cameron John and James Marchesani who are in 2nd and 3rd place behind Smyth.
At the other end of the scale are those vying to retain their playing privileges on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the leading 50 players able to play events in the 2026/2027 season.
Those not making it inside the top 50, and not otherwise exempt, will get another chance via the PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School beginning almost immediately at the Heritage and Moonah Links Golf Clubs, with the final to be played at the Sandhurst Golf Club a few days later.
The defending champion this week is Harrison Crowe, who has struggled for much of this season with a best of 10th in 12 starts and has slipped to 72nd on the Order of Merit, although his win last year assures him of status in Australasia for another twelve months.
It will be interesting to see if a return to a venue which provided him his first and only victory to date helps him regain some of the form which saw him finish 8th on the Order of Merit last year.
The tournament offers A$200,000 in prize money and 190 Order of Merit points to the winner.
