A contingent of 17 Japanese players spearheads a truly international field of 54 for the WPGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School teeing off at Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club today.
The two-round tournament on the River course offers a pathway to one of the most exciting seasons on the WPGA Tour of Australasia in recent memory.
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Headlined by the return of the women’s Australian Open at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide, the 2026 season features four events co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour worth a combined $3.5 million in prizemoney.
The season starts with the second edition of the Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee at Royal Fremantle Golf Club from January 8-11 and will see players compete for total prizemoney of close to $5 million across the course of the year.
It all starts at Q-School, with players from nine countries converging on Coolangatta & Tweed Heads for the opportunity to make their mark in the new year.
“The influx of international talent to our tour has added terrific interest and created deeper fields for our events,” said WPGA Tour of Australasia chief executive, Karen Lunn.
“Players such as Ashley Lau, Min A. Yoon and Cholcheva Wongras have begun to forge their careers internationally after coming through Q-School two years ago with Cholcheva taking out our 2025 Order of Merit.
“Along with a group of very talented young Aussie girls, I’m sure we will unearth future stars again this week.”
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Promising Australian amateurs looking to take their first steps into the professional ranks include Queensland Amateur champion Godiva Kim and New South Wales pair Annika Rathbone and Michelle Bang.
This year is the fourth consecutive year that Coolangatta-Tweed has hosted WPGA Qualifying, play shifting this year to the picturesque and strategic River course.
“We are always grateful to the leadership team and board at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club for making their facility available to us at such a busy time of year,” Lunn added.
“Course superintendent Peter Lonergan and his team always do a magnificent job in how they present the golf course and the membership are always very engaged and supportive of the players.
“After a few years on the West course I’m excited to see how girls showcase their skills on the River course.”
Round 1 tees off at 7am (AEDT).
