The PGA Tour of Australasia draws to a close this week and the NSW PGA Championship could prove to be the most important tournament of the year for some in the field.
While the top end of the Order of Merit was secured last week with Australian PGA Champion Nathan Holman taking out the top honour and benefits that go along with it, including a start in The Open, WGC – Cadillac Championship and WGC – HSBC Champions, players at the bottom end of the money list will be jostling for their final positions.
Finishing high up on the Order of Merit earn benefits around the world including;
Players who finish in positions 2-30 on the Order of Merit will receive category three on the PGA Tour of Australasia exemption categories for the 2016 season. This will see them earn starts in all tournaments on Tour.
SA Players competing this week who could force their way into the top-30 are;
- Max McCardle (current position 34th) – would need a top-9 finish
Players who finish in positions 51-60 on the Order of Merit will receive category 11 next year. Based on previous years this would get them into all State Based Championships and depending on their position within the category should get most of the Tier One tournaments.
SA players competing this week who could force their way into the top-60 and avoid a trip to final stage Qualifying School are;
- Peter Cooke (69th) – would need to finish top-4
- Jason Norris (76th) – would need to finish top-3
SA players who finish 61-100 on the Order of Merit are required to attend PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School to earn a category on Tour for 2016, unless they are able to utilise Category 14 via their National Ranking. Players inside this number on the Order of Merit will be exempt through to final stage in January.
The following SA players this week could avoid a trip to first stage Qualifying School and go straight through to final stage;
- Tom Bond (101st) – needs to make the cut
Players who finish outside of the top-100 on the Order of Merit will be required to compete at first stage Qualifying School next week.
A win this week will see the champion provided with category 7 and exempt onto the PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of 2017.
Please note that the calculations above are a guide only and could change depending on how players higher up the Order of Merit perform at the NSW PGA Championship this week.
To view the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit following the Australian PGA Championship please visit pga.org.au.
To view the full field for the NSW PGA Championship please visit pga.org.au.
The NSW PGA Championship will tee off on Thursday 10th December with the champion decided on Sunday 13th December.
Along with the winner's share of the $110,000 prize purse the champion will earn status on the PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of 2017 and Official World Golf Ranking points.