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Australia's summer of golf reflection

Adam Scott. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Roar Guru
28th May, 2016
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Nathan Holman’s win at the 2015 Australian PGA Championship capped off a scintillating and exciting week on the Gold Coast.

The newly redesigned course by Graham Marsh issued a stern but fair test to the numerous professionals vying to engrave their name upon the prestigious Kirkwood Cup.

Although some of the entertaining golf can be based on the redesign, I believe the support of the European Tour to co-sanction the event was the primary reason for the exciting vibe experienced by spectators and players alike.

Combining an event steeped in history with a respectable prize pool, a guaranteed European Tour card and entry to the major events to the winner, reaffirms the age-old ‘Field of Dreams’ quote “Build it and (they) will come.”

As a young Melbournian, I love attending the Australian Masters but would love to see more of the best young talent and global players competing on the sand belt. The field a few weeks back was a little bit short on talent and lacked the exciting nature of this year’s Australian PGA Championship.

If the European Tour support continues for the next few years, the lure of these rewards will be to good to refuse, forcing young and established stars to compete in Australia. The One Asia experiment with the Australian summer of golf has failed dismally and now it is time to work with the European Tour to secure the long term success and longevity of our three major events.

I believe the only way for the Australian summer of golf to succeed is with the support of the European Tour and the correct scheduling.

The European Tour should look at ending the year with the three Australian events and re-commencing in South Africa the following season. Pushing the Australian Masters a week later, will enable all three events to exist without direct competition from major tournaments (Race to Dubai final, etc).

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This further allows the Australian PGA Championship to be conducted in a week where it would be considered one of the only major events taking place.

Every year during this week the Thailand Golf Championship is conducted and attracts many of the worlds best players looking to end their year on a high before the Christmas break.

In order to ensure the success of Australian Golf, we may need to make a few changes to accommodate for the ever changing needs and wants of professional golf.

Not only will our summer of golf be more riveting and appealing through deeper fields, it will provide young and up and coming Australians with platforms to gain tickets to The Big Show.

That can’t be a bad thing, can it?

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