Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Minjee Lee and Hannah Green: The four highest-ranked players in the men’s and women’s rankings were confirmed as Australia’s golf representatives for the Tokyo Olympics.
Australian Open: Cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Australian Open was confirmed for its return in 2021, scheduled to be played at The Australian Golf Club [right] from November 25-28.
Greg Norman: Days after it was announced that Norman Estates would be part of a $300 million housing development in south-west Sydney, Norman announced he would auction off many pieces of golf equipment from his prized ‘Golf Room’, the proceeds of which would go to the First Tee charity.
Lawry Flynn: The Queensland left-hander joined the professional ranks after a stellar amateur career and then shared the spoils of victory in his first pro start at the Maroochy River Pro-Am.
Moonah Links: The two-time venue of the Australian Open will host the Victorian PGA Championship across the Legends and Open courses for the next three years, the 2021 edition running from November 4-7.
WA Open: Returns to the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule for the first time since 2018, to be held at Royal Fremantle Golf Club from October 14-17.
Wade Ormsby: Playing alongside fellow Australian and ultimate champion Min Woo Lee, Ormsby won 204 bottles of whisky for making an ace at the par-3 12th, one for every yard the hole was playing during the final round of the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.
Deyen Lawson: Earned his first start at the Open Championship after finishing top of final qualifying at Prince’s Golf Club, the course that sits adjacent to this year’s Open host venue, Royal St George’s.
Future Tour: A shared initiative between the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, the launch of the PGA Affiliate Future Tour will provide a direct pathway for Australia’s best young amateurs to earn a card on the PGA Tour of Australasia even before turning professional.
Oxley Golf Club: The Brisbane club will be the home of the only Dave Pelz-designed mini-golf course in Australia, the 18-hole layout under construction on the old ninth hole with an opening date of November 2021.
Warragul Country Club: Announced as the new host course for the Gippsland Super 6 tournament in November, taking over from Yallourn Golf Club, which staged the event the past two years.
The Cut Golf Course: Pioneering a new era of transparency and sustainability in golf, The Cut was one of three West Australian clubs recognised for its sustainability commitment by the Australian Panel of Golf Industry and R&A, winning a spot in the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association 2020 Golf Course Sustainability Project for its use of renewable energy, partnering with Solahart Mandurah to reduce its clubhouse power consumption by 56
percent.
Jarrod Lyle: Three years after his passing, Lyle was inducted into the Shepparton Golf Hall of Fame, recognising his rise from Shepparton Golf Club to the PGA Tour.
Royal Queensland Golf Club: Will be the venue for the Olympic competition in 2032 should Brisbane’s hosting bid receive final approval from the International Olympic Committee.
He did what?
“What are the odds? I’ve never even hit a hole-in-one!”
The odds of David Pennell making a hole-in-one anywhere is approximately 12,500 to 1. The odds that he would do it in the Outback Queensland Masters on the sand greens of Quilpie Golf Club and win $10,000? That number we may never know.
A member of Murrumbidgee Golf Club in the ACT, Pennell, 51, was on the 1,900-kilometre Outback Queensland Masters adventure with wife Karen when a fateful 5-iron made it a trip they will never forget.
When asked what he will do with his unexpected windfall, Pennell revealed that in some respects the money had already been spent. “I just ordered a $10,000 golf buggy, so it’s going straight to that, keeping the spending going around in the industry.”
253,000
The number of extra adult Australians who played golf in 2020 compared to 2019, according to AusPlay statistics released by Sport Australia. It was the largest increase in participants of all organised sports.
