A strong field has assembled to contest the Mazda NSW Open Championship being played at Stonecutters Ridge from 13 -16 November.
With the Web.com Tour season wrapped up, players have returned home for the Aussie summer of golf which is now in full swing.
Players to watch this week include:
Ash Hall has just completed his second season on the Web.com Tour and while he only made nine cuts from 11 starts, he recorded two top-5 finishes to easily retain his card for the 2015 season. A previous winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Hall is always a strong contender on his home Tour and has already recorded a tied 4th finish at the New Zealand Open earlier this year.
James Nitties had a memorable finish to his season in the US, at the last regular season event he needed a good result to retain his card. On the last hole of the season he made a 15 foot putt for bogey which secured him a tied 5th finish to finish 71st on the money list and retain his card. Nitties will be looking for a good performance this year after having to retire from the NSW Open last year due to injury. His last full appearance at the tournament was in 2011 when it was played in Newcastle, his hometown, and he finished tied 6th.
Peter Lonard is always a crowd favourite and the Mazda NSW Open will be his first appearance on home soil for the 2014 PGA Tour of Australasia season. After a tough season in the US, where he made nine cuts from 16 starts for a best performance of T50, Lonard returns to tournament golf following a three month break. Loving being on the golf course in competition mode Lonard is looking forward to playing the NSW Open this week. “I am looking forward to getting back but a lack of tournament play will count against me. I have been practising at the Lakes but there is nothing like playing tournaments to get sharp again,” said Lonard on his website. Peter Lonard is one of three former NSW Open champions to be playing this week.
Nathan Green has been one of Australia’s leading Tour Professionals proudly flying the Aussie flag in the US for 10 years. His career was highlighted by winning the Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR but after a tough few years he has decided to shift his focus closer to home. Returning to Australia seems to have reinvigorated Green. In his two starts on the PGA Tour of Australasia he has finished tied 19th at the European Tour co-sanctioned ISPS HANDA Perth International and tied 9th at the WA Goldfields PGA Championship.
Tim Hart, not yet a familiar name, is one player that could upstage his more experience counterparts this week. At 25 years old Hart is a rookie on the PGA Tour of Australasia having come across to tournament golf after completing a year as a PGA Trainee Professional. During his time as a PGA Trainee Hart won the 2013 National Futures Championship, the most prestigious Trainee tournament, by a convincing seven shots. That form is starting to emerge on Tour and we have seen him finish in the top-10 in two of his last three starts. Renowned for his long hitting ability we think Hart’s game style will suit the wide open fairways of the Greg Norman designed Stonecutters Ridge.
The Mazda NSW Open Championship will be played at Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club in Western Sydney from 13 – 16 November.
Being played for a prize purse of AU$100,000 the winner also receives Official World Golf Ranking Points and becomes fully exempt on to the PGA Tour of Australasia for the remainder of this season plus a further two years.