Defending champion Marcus Fraser will headline the 2021 Gippsland Super 6 at the championship’s new host venue at Warragul Country Club when it returns to its original November date on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia schedule.

After two years at the superb Yallourn Golf Club – including a 2020 event that was delayed until January 2021 due to COVID-19 – Warragul Country Club in the Baw Baw Shire will host the tournament from November 11-14 in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

The innovative format will see 132 players tee it up on the Thursday with the top 50 and ties to make the 36-hole cut. After 54 holes, the top 24 will advance to the final round of matchplay on the Sunday.

Fraser finished third at the Gippsland BMW Warragul Country Club Pro-Am won by Tim Hart and Andrew Martin earlier this year and believes it will stand up to the test as a PGA Tour of Australasia tournament venue.

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing Yallourn at the start of the year but it’s always exciting as a player to head to a new venue,” said Fraser, a three-time winner on the European Tour.

“I didn’t quite get over the line at the Warragul Pro-Am but I was very impressed by the golf course and the officials at the club and sponsors put on a wonderful event.

“I’ve got no doubt that the Gippsland Super 6 will continue to be a success at Warragul Country Club and hopefully I’ll be one of the two players left to contest the final late on Sunday.”

Found just over an hour south-east of Melbourne, Warragul Country Club is a parkland course with gentle undulation changes and club chair Kaye Rollinson says the club is excited to welcome the country’s best players.

“We’re very proud of the pro-am that we have hosted in recent years which will continue in early 2022 but there is an extra level of excitement in stepping up to host the Gippsland Super 6 as part of the 2021-2022 PGA Tour of Australasia schedule,” Rollinson said.

“I know our membership will be thrilled that their course will be showcased in such a manner and that they will see some of Australia’s best players test their games on the course the members play week after week.”

In conjunction with the four-day tournament for the professionals, the Gippsland Super 6 has a number of fantastic community engagement events staged at various venues in the lead-up and during tournament week.

There will be multiple Junior Masterclass sessions, Junior Pro-Am, junior mentoring session with leading professionals, Caddy Kids where local juniors can caddy for professionals during the pro-am, the Gippsland Super 6 Amateur Tournament where local amateurs of all handicaps can play a shortened one-day version of the tournament, pre-event tournament pro-am, championship dinner with entertainment with the final Sunday to serve as Family Day.

Warragul has a great history in producing successful professional golfers with the likes of David Iwasaki-Smith, Jason Dawes and current PGA Tour player, Cameron Percy, starting their golf journey at the club.

PGA of Australia tournaments director Australasia Nick Dastey hopes this event will inspire the next generation to also aspire to the professional ranks.

“Yallourn Golf Club did a fantastic job hosting the first Gippsland Super 6 events and encouraged strong junior engagement that will have left a lasting memory for all the kids involved,” Dastey said.

“Providing young golf fans with the chance to see their heroes in person has a lasting impact on their passion and interest in the game and we are very excited that this event will continue to provide that vehicle through our junior masterclass sessions throughout Gippsland and with our new hosts at Warragul Country Club.

“The Gippsland region has produced a number of outstanding players over the years and golf fans will be treated to a very strong field at Warragul Country Club in November.

“We’d love to think that a future winner of the Gippsland Super 6 may have been inspired to follow their dreams after attending this year’s event.”

Total prizemoney for the Gippsland Super 6 will be $137,500 and entry for general spectators is free.