The Australian Senior Open makes a welcome return to the PGA Legends Tour in Toowoomba this week as a highlight of the 2026 PGA Legends Tour season.
Last played in 2012 when Peter Fowler was the champion at Royal Perth, the ninth edition has attracted a host of Australia and New Zealand’s most accomplished over-50 golfers.
RELATED: Course review – City Golf Club, Toowoomba
The big names are headed by former titleholder Peter Senior, PGA Tour winners Nathan Green and Andre Stolz, as well as regular Legends Tour winners Jason Norris, David Mackenzie and Brad Burns and seniors newcomer, Matt Millar.
The field of 120 professionals and amateurs will compete over 54 holes for a $160,000 prize purse, with City Golf Club hosting the event as part of its centenary celebrations. A club with a proud tournament history, the Australian Senior Open adds to the 12 Queensland PGA Championships the club has staged with a list of former winners that includes reigning Open champion, Ryan Fox.
One player with unmatched local knowledge is Nigel Weldon. A two-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour, Weldon is Toowoomba-born and raised and is currently employed as the 2IC on the City Golf Club greens staff. A club champion on no less than 14 occasions – and with a low round of nine-under 62 – Weldon knows the secrets to scoring well at City.
“To score well around there, you’ve got to hit a lot of fairways,” Weldon said.
“Obviously being there as long as I have, I’ve tried every different option. I’ve even played the course without a driver at all and just tried to hit every fairway and see how I go. I’ve always found driver is basically the best option because if you do get in the trees, you’re far enough down that you can manufacture something to the green.
“If you’re hitting fairways and you’re driving it well, even at my age now, I’m still only hitting wedges into most greens on the standard par 4s and you can really get it going.”
A narrow, treelined course that places a premium on accuracy off the tee, City stretches to 5,770 metres from the back tees with a par of 33 on the front nine and 37 on the back, which is the home of the layout’s two par 5s.
It sits largely on a slope close to the centre of the Darling Downs city and among its feature holes is the 130-metre, par-3 eighth, which plays across West Creek to one of the largest greens on the course, offering a huge variety of pin positions.
The toughest hole is left until the end – a 400-metre, downhill par-4 where the tee shot must avoid out-of-bounds to the left and thick trees to the right. A drive that goes too far ends up in the creek, while the green sits right by the clubhouse and is surrounded by bunkers.
Unusually for a Queensland layout, the cooler climate in Toowoomba allows City to produce quality bentgrass greens more accustomed to southern courses.
When it hosted the Queensland PGA, the winning scores had a wide range – 11-under-par through to 24-under – so a double-digit under-par tally might be required to become the 2026 Australian Senior Open champion on Sunday afternoon.
Australian Senior Open
Venue: City Golf Club, Toowoomba
Dates: October 2-4
Prizemoney: $160,000
Live scores: GOLF.com.au
Broadcast
Kayo Sports: Friday from 12pm (AEST); Kayo Sports and Foxtel: Saturday from 12pm (AEST); Sunday from 1pm (AEDT)
Course record
61 – Anthony Summers (2014)
Former champions
2012 – Peter Fowler
2011 – Gary Wolstenholme
2010 – Peter Senior
2009 – Mike Harwood
2008 – Wayne Grady
2007 – Wayne Grady
1996 – Hiroshi Tahara
1995 – Noel Ratcliffe
Players to watch
Peter Senior – Former Australian Senior Open winner, two-time Australian Open champion
Jason Norris – Three-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner and reigning Australian PGA Seniors champion
Andre Stolz – PGA Tour winner, five-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner
Brad Burns – Current PGA Legends Tour No.1
Matt Millar – Two-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner
Nathan Green – PGA Tour winner, former NZ Open champion
Scott Barr – 2026 World Sand Greens champion
