Date: July 10, 2008
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Tradition to continue at Huntingdale

The Australian Masters will continue for at least another year with the PGA of Australia confirming the Huntingdale tournament as part of its end of year tournament schedule. The withdrawal of major sponsor MasterCard had threatened the future of the tournament, which is set to celebrate its 30th birthday this year. While there are yet to be any guarantees on its long-term future, it will take its place as the first of the &aposBig Three&apos tournaments to round off the year. The end of year schedule swings into action with the first Von Nida Tour event, the WA Open. That kick starts a month of golf crossing three states and finishing with The Vintage NSW Open. The PGA Tour&aposs National Order of Merit recommences with the HSBC Champions Tournament from November 6 to 9 in Shanghai, while the next event is the Australian Masters from November 27-30 at Huntingdale. Australia&aposs oldest professional tournament, the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Coolum from December 4-7, while the 2008 season will culminate with the 93rd Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club from December 11-14. That event will feature current world No.3 Adam Scott and current world No.4 Geoff Ogilvy. “The PGA&aposs 2008 Summer Schedule will provide an opportunity for golf fans across the country to experience professional golf first hand in a variety of locations. Our flagship events will showcase our world beating home grown talent and determine who will win our Order of Merit 2008. We welcome our members home for summer and thank them for their loyalty and commitment to Australian golf,” Max Garske, chief executive, PGA of Australia said. “Last year we experienced record crowds and increased television ratings across the board along with some of the strongest tournament fields in Australia for some time. The upcoming summer promises to again deliver world class golf for the sporting public and I commend Ben Sellenger and our Tour Division team for their work with the event owners and promoters to finalise this strong schedule.” 2008 PGA TOUR Tournament Schedule Oct 23-26 WA Open, Cottlesloe GC, WA, $110,000 Oct 30-Nov 2 WA PGA, The Cut GC, WA, $110,000 Nov 6-9 NSW PGA, Riverside Oaks, NSW, $100,000 Nov 6-9 HSBC Champions, Sheshan Int l GC, Shanghai, $US5,000,000 Nov 13-16 The Vintage NSW Open, The Vintage GC, Hunter Valley, $125,000 Nov 27-30 Australian Masters, Huntingdale GC, VIC, $1,500,000 Dec 4-7 Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship, Hyatt Regency Coolum, QLD, $1,400,000 Dec 11-14 Australian Open, Royal Sydney GC, $1,650,000 (min)