MEDIA RELEASE: PGA Tour Australiasia The name and logo of Australia&aposs newest international golf championship was recently unveiled as The Moonah Classic begins its journey into the hearts and minds of Australia&aposs golfing public. The official title for the new co-sanctioned Australasian PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour tournament to be played 21 to 24 February 2008 was announced along with details of the event and its management. To be staged on the Open Course at Moonah Links on Victoria&aposs famous Mornington Peninsula, the Moonah Classic will boast one of the largest prize pools ever offered on the Nationwide Tour with an AUD$850,000 purse. The third event on the 2008 Nationwide Tour schedule, the Moonah Classic consolidates the strong US Tour relationship and player pathway that has developed between the tours over the past five years and is part of a two event &aposdown under swing&apos following the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship. “Moonah Links, the home of Australian golf is proud to be hosting the Moonah Classic. We have a passion for wanting to develop our home grown golf stars and by supporting this event we are directly paving the way for young golfers to make their way on the world stage,” said Paddy Handbury, Chairman of the Handbury Group. “The Moonah Classic is a chance for us to show off one of Australia&aposs finest tournament courses and venues to the world and we&aposre confident this event will surpass everybody s expectations,” he added. “We have asked Tony Roosenburg Promotions (TRP Sports), the PGA of Australia and the PGA Tour to work with us to stage the Moonah Classic and we are proud to have them on our team,” Mr Handbury said. “This event is fundamental to the development of our golfers on the world stage and Paddy Handbury is leading from the front by investing in the future of golf,” said PGA Tour of Australasia CEO Ben Sellenger. “Moonah Links is an outstanding venue having played host to two recent Australian Opens and the US and international players can certainly look forward to playing on one of Australia s most prestigious courses with some hot competition from the Aussie boys.” The inaugural Moonah Classic created through the partnership between the PGA Tour of Australasia, PGA of Australia and the Handbury Group will tee off from February 21-24. It will feature a field of future stars from Australia, the US and around the world. The Nationwide Tour relationship has been a career platform for Australian golfers over the past five years players like Paul Sheehan, Gavin Coles, Stephen Bowditch, Jarrod Lyle, Euan Walters, Paul Gow and others have been able to take advantage of this pathway to make their mark on the US PGA Tour. Next year they will be joined by other Australians, including Nick Flanagan, Jason Day and Matthew Jones. Click here to view the event fact sheet.