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Eight time LPGA winner Rachel Hetherington is leading the strong Australian contingent that will gather in Sydney later this month for the inaugural 2015 Australia Classic.
The Classic is being held at the prestigious Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club is south western Sydney from the 17 to 19 April.
The event is the first co-sanctioned tournament between the ALPG and China LPGA (CLPGA) tour. 25 players from each tour and four sponsor invites will be vying for the title and their share of the $150,000 in prize money.
Hetherington, who made a successful return to the ALPG Tour over the summer, will go in as one of the favourites.
The 42 year old is excited about the new event,
“It was a very pleasant surprise when I heard that the new event was on our schedule. I thought my season was over, but I am really looking forward to playing at Twin Creeks and against the top players from the CLPGA.”
“Since I heard about the event I have continued to practice and work on my game, so I am hoping to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon.”
“I haven’t played at Twin Creeks before, I’ve only good things about it, so I looking forward to playing the Graham Marsh layout.”
“The growth of golf in China has been phenomenal since I retired from the LPGA back in 2010. I think it is great if we can have more co-sanctioned events with the CLPGA, both here and in China. It gives ALPG players and CLPGA players more playing opportunities and is an also an opportunity for us to see the exciting players emerging from China.”
“I understand there has been a short amount of time to promote the event, but hopefully the people of south and Western Sydney can come out and see great golf at a fabulous golf facility.”
Fellow compatriots likely to be in the mix include European Tour winners Stacey Keating, Rebecca Artis and Nikki Garrett. Artis was in contention in several of the ALPG major events, while Garrett’s consistent season saw her take home the Club Car Series bonus pool at the conclusion of the Bing Lee Fujitsu Women’s NSW Open.