"VAN" (Sports Desk - 23.06.2025) :: The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia today announced its schedule for the first half of a bumper 2025-2026 season that will offer a record total of around $7 million in prizemoney across 10 events.
The two Australian majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open, will both offer substantially increased prize purses this season, reflecting the growth and increased interest in both tournaments, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 27-30 will offer $2.5 million, the most in the event’s 121-year history, an increase of $500,000 on 2024.
Meanwhile, the Australian Open at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 4-7, where Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy will be the headline act, will offer a minimum of $2 million in prize money.
To kick off the 2025/26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, former Queensland PGA champion and 2024 BMW Australian PGA third placegetter Anthony Quayle hit a commemorative tee shot at today’s launch at Nudgee Golf Club which will host the first event of back-to-back weeks in Brisbane for the Tour in November.
Quayle is headed to the DP World Tour next season after gaining one of the cards on offer to the top-three finishers on last year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“The Chase is On” from the PNG Open in August, with 10 tournaments locked in through to the end of the year, including the return of the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship at Palmerston Golf Course on August 28-31.
Outstanding golf courses making a reappearance on the Tour schedule is another highlight for the first half of the season.
There’s a return to the Mt Lawley Golf Club for the Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open for the first time since 2018 on October 16-19, the Perth club to showcase its acclaimed redesigned layout which opened for play in late 2023.
The Ford NSW Open is back at the Greg Norman-designed The Vintage Golf Club on November 14-17. Set in the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, The Vintage hosted the Open for four consecutive years from 2007 to 2010.
The ground-breaking Webex Players Series, featuring its format of men and women on the same course, vying for the same title, will have one event prior to the New Year with Willunga GC in the McLaren Vale region once again the venue for Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett.
Another four Webex events will come in early 2026, including the second year of Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee at Royal Fremantle Golf Club in January.
Owned and operated by the PGA of Australia, the Tour will continue through to March when the Order of Merit champion will be crowned.
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said the first half of the 2025/26 would be crucial for the professionals looking to follow the pathway available from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to the DP World Tour and eventually the PGA TOUR.
“The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season is all about ‘the chase’ and we’re delighted our professionals will be chasing record prizemoney across the first half of the season,” he said.
“They’ll also be chasing titles, exemptions and opportunities to compete internationally.
“There is so much on the line for our players as they try to follow the pathway that has been created all the way to the PGA TOUR.
“We saw what was possible with Elvis Smylie winning twice on our Tour last year and going on to win the Order of Merit, earn his DP World Tour card and starts in two majors.
“Careers can be changed in just a few months.”
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said: “We’re excited with what’s to come in the first half of the 2025/26 season with our best professionals visiting Papua New Guinea plus six of Australia’s states and territories.
“Once again, the Tour will be in both major metropolitan and regional areas with each event having its own unique flavour and the chance to see our game’s best up close.
“The quality of golf we witnessed last season was exceptional with close finishes a feature almost every week. We look forward to seeing who emerges as our frontrunners in 2025/26.”
The post-Christmas/New Year schedule of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia events will be announced in coming weeks.
Challenger Chief Executive, Customer Mandy Mannix said: "We’re excited for the upcoming PGA Tour of Australasia season — it’s a fantastic stage for local talent to compete alongside the world’s best golfers.
“For Challenger, this partnership is about more than sport, it’s a way to connect with the community we serve, especially retirees who share a passion for golf and the lifestyle it represents.
“Supporting this Tour aligns perfectly with our purpose of helping Australians build financial security so they can enjoy a better, more active retirement."
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