By Rob Willis
AUSTRALIAN financial investment firm Challenger was revealed as the naming partner of the PGA Tour of Australasia at a media conference held at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, where an exciting summer tournament schedule was announced.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is set to feature a schedule of 18 events for the 2023/2024 season, and as the new promotional campaign proclaims, ‘The Chase is On’ for a talented group of players looking to improve their position in the professional game, highlighted by the race to be at the top of the Order of Merit and to take advantage of the global rewards that come with it.
The total Australasian Tour schedule offers more than $9 million in prizemoney and includes two new events – the Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett, and the Heritage Classic at The Heritage Golf and Country Club in Melbourne in January.
While the schedule announcement was highlighted by the signing of Challenger, it also detailed a player pathway that is now in place, one which can catapult Australasian golfers onto the international stage.
Also announced was a broadcast contract that will see every tournament on the Summer of Golf Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live on Fox Sports, on Foxtel and Kayo, with Nine and Nine Now also simulcasting the Fortinet Australian PGA and ISPS HANDA Australian Open, while the country’s biggest names also confirmed their participation in the two major tournaments.
“Our Tour is all about ‘the chase’, which is why our new campaign resonates so strongly for me,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“Our players are chasing titles and prizemoney, exemptions into future events on our Tour and eventually for the opportunity to ply their trade across the globe against the world’s best. There is just so much on the line.
“It’s going to be a Summer of Golf to remember.”
The Summer of Golf will visit five states as well as New Zealand, adding to the already completed tournaments in WA, Papua New Guinea and the Northern Territory.
Eight Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia events will be played in the lead-up to the end of the year, including the two Aussie majors, then at the start of 2024, there will be another eight events as the chase for the Order of Merit reaches its conclusion, highlighted by the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports.
And joining the PGA over the next three years for what shapes as an exciting the journey for both parties, is Challenger, a company with two complementary businesses – Funds Management and Life – as they endeavour to help customers build wealth in their working lives and then provide security to spend their savings in retirement.
The Challenger ‘Life’ business is the leading retirement income brand in Australia, last year paying customers around $6 billion, with their offering helping to protect retirees from the risk of outliving their savings.
In relation to Challenger Funds Management, as the largest active fund manager in Australia they provide clients with a wide range of highly regarded investment products.
Challenger CEO Nick Hamilton was present at the launch of the summer schedule, joining PGA Australia and Golf Australia in announcing the exciting new partnership.
“Challenger is delighted to partner with PGA of Australia, WPGA and Golf Australia,” Hamilton said.
“With over nine million passionate golf fans in Australia, and a sport of choice for over 45s, this partnership represents an exciting opportunity to showcase our brand and retirement credentials as we focus on taking a broader stance in retirement.
“The partnership also aligns with Challenger’s commitment to supporting Australia’s communities, investing at the grassroots to ensure that talented players can thrive at the highest level.”
“Like many Australians, I have played golf on and off since childhood,” Hamilton continued.
“After many years living overseas, having a very active family and a busy career, time has conspired against me playing golf as regularly as I would have liked.
“Challenger’s partnership is the impetus for that to change and as a sport to grow older with, there is no better. My teenage son and his friends are all golf obsessed, which speaks very well to the future of golf in Australia and provides me a golf partner whenever I have time to play.”
At the time of Inside Golf going to print, four events have been run and won on the 2023-2024 schedule, with Ben Eccles the most recent winner, the Victorian streeting the field to win the WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie.
Other winners so far this season have included Lachlan Barker (PNG Open), Daniel Gale (NT PGA) and Simon Hawkes (WA Open).
Australia's Golf News Leader, Inside Golf gives you in-depth coverage of Australian golf news, golf events, golf travel and holiday destinations, Australian and international golf course reviews, the hottest new golf gear and tips and drills to improve your golf game. Written by award-winning journalists, Inside Golf also features interviews with Australia's top professional golfers, the game's rising stars, industry leaders and golf equipment manufacturers. You can even win great golf prizes and equipment. It’s all in Inside Golf. FREE at Australian golf courses, driving ranges and golf retailers across Australia. 
