After an abridged inaugural staging in 2022 and a tournament wiped out by Cyclone Alfred 12 months ago, the Australian WPGA Championship gets its time to shine this week at Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club on the Gold Coast.
RELATED: WPGA Championship 2026 – Steph Kyriacou keen to move past driving drama
Coming on the back of her emotional victory at the Women’s Australian Open last week, world No.9 Hannah Green headlines the field along with fellow LPGA Tour star Steph Kyriacou and leading players from the Ladies European Tour.
This week marks the final event of a four-event swing co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Ladies European Tour, with 37 countries to be represented when the first round tees off on the Palms course on Thursday morning.
Players will compete for a total of $600,000 in prizemoney and the chance to have their name etched on the Karrie Webb Cup, a trophy that Victorian Su Oh won in 2022.
Oh is one of eight players in the field this week who played at Royal Queensland in 2022, including then-amateurs Kirsten Rudgeley and Kelsey Bennett.
RELATED: Why March is a huge month for women’s golf in Australia
Both Rudgeley and Bennett are now entrenched on the Ladies European Tour, Bennett securing her first win two weeks ago at the Australian Women’s Classic.
That victory – and the associated two-year exemption on the LET – is motivation for the other emerging Aussies to put their best foot forward this week, according to Karrie Webb
“It’s good for the LET girls to be able to come down and play four events in Australia and it’s a great opportunity for our Aussie girls, too,” Webb said.
“Even the girls who don’t have LET status just yet, it’s great experience to be playing up in that next level and they have the chance to play their way onto that tour with a good week.
“Kelsey Bennett winning two weeks ago, that secures her card for the next two years at least and now she’ll be one of the players to watch.”
Of the international contingent, Singapore’s Shannon Tan – who was top 10 at the 2024 Vic Open – is currently ranked No.93 in the world and South Africa’s Casandra Alexander had a win and three runner-up finishes on the LET last year.
Australian WPGA Championship
Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club (Palms Course)
Prizemoney: $600,000
TV times: 12pm-5pm (AEDT) Saturday and Sunday on Kayo Sports and Fox Sports.
Past champions:
2022: Su Oh
Players to watch:
Hannah Green – 2026 Australian Open champion
Steph Kyriacou – Two-time LET winner
Kelsey Bennett – Australian Women’s Classic winner
Shannon Tan – Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner
Cholcheva Wongras – 2025 WPGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner
Diksha Dagar – Two-time Olympian, two-time LET winner
