Australia’s best up-and-coming female golfers are set to test their skills on some of New South Wales’ finest courses, with next year’s Australian Women’s Classic – Bonville and the Women’s NSW Open ready to complement a brand new series of Six Regional Qualifying events for women beginning in late 2023.
The Women’s NSW Open will take place at the magnificent Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club on the NSW Central Coast from March 29th to 31st, 2024, while the Australian Women’s Classic returns to Bonville on the Coffs Coast beginning on April 5th and running until April 7th.
The back-to-back tournaments will see a sizeable jump in prizemoney, with the purses for each now set at AUD 500,000. The two championships – already key events on the Women’s Australian PGA Tour Schedule (WPGA Tour) will also return to the Ladies European Tour (LET) calendar in 2024.
And in a first for women’s golf in New South Wales, an additional six 36-hole Regional Open Qualifying Tournaments, each carrying a purse of $50,000, will be part of the 2023- 2024 schedule prior to the back-to-back championships in late March.
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Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said the NSW Government was pleased to be supporting these major women’s sporting events which will increase tourism in our regions.
“These tournaments will feature some of Australia’s top female golfers and also showcase some of the nation’s best golf courses, putting these areas on the ‘must visit’ list for golfers who attend the tournaments and the fans who follow them.”
“Sport brings communities together, and having some of the nation’s leading female golfers play at courses across regional NSW will bring social and economic benefit to these areas.”
Olivia Wilson, General Manager – Golf at Golf NSW, said the increased number of tournaments and jump in prizemoney was a welcome reflection of the growing interest in elite female sport and participation in the pastime post-covid.
“Golf will always be a game for all and a sport that anyone can embrace regardless of age or ability.
“It’s a thrill to see how the sporting public embrace our finest female athletes in whatever discipline they excel.
“With many of the Ladies European Tour’s best on show, it will be a fantastic few weeks of Golf.
“With luck, we’ll see a hometown star or two shine and get their career off to a fabulous start,” Ms Wilson said.
Karen Lunn, CEO of the WPGA Tour of Australasia, was delighted with the news.
“The WPGA is thrilled to partner with Golf NSW to deliver world-class golf this summer. To compete for over $1 million on some great courses in regional NSW is a first for our organisation and a fantastic opportunity to showcase our game’s best players and women’s sports in general.”
Graeme Phillipson, Chief Operating Officer at Golf NSW, said the tournaments would be a welcome economic injection into the communities surrounding the host clubs and showcase both courses to a global audience.
“The Womens NSW Open and The Australian Women’s Classic have always been well supported by the LET, and with the host tournaments sites already renowned for the test they will offer to the players, I’d expect both fields to have a very strong international flavour.”
Mr Phillipson also confirmed that the Australian Women’s Classic and the Women’s NSW Open TV will be broadcast through Foxtel and Kayo via SEN, with the final rounds of all Regional Qualifying Series events to be live-streamed on the SEN network and Golf NSW social & digital channels.
“Digital technology is always evolving, and in the last few years, this evolution has allowed us to broadcast from several great courses we could never have hoped to do so from before.
“It will be fantastic to broadcast some of our best regional courses to the world and showcase our best golfing talent,” Mr Phillipson added.
Qualifying Series Schedule
Mollymook Golf Club (Hilltop Course): November 18th to 20th, 2023.
Wagga Wagga Country Club: November 22nd to 24th, 2023.
Duntryleague Golf Club: March 3rd to 5th, 2024.
Bathurst Golf Club: March 6th to 8th, 2024.
Dubbo Golf Club: March 10th to 12th, 2024.
Narrabri Golf Club: March 14th to 16th, 2024.
“These Golf NSW events are supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and the Department of Regional NSW”.
