The ALPG TOUR 2020 Schedule Story by Karen Lunn ALPG
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The 2020 ALPG Tour season kicked off with the second ever ALPG Qualifying Tournament, where players from around the world will compete for the opportunity to join the ALPG Tour and earn exemptions to play in major Australian events throughout the 2020 schedule.
imilar to the inaugural qualifying event held in 2019 at Ballarat Golf Club in Victoria, the 2020 Qualifying Tournament was a 54 hole event where a number of exemptions were offered to those leading players in the ISPS Handa Vic Open, ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, The Australian Ladies Classic Bonville and the Worrell’s Women’s NSW Open. A change in venue saw this event played just south of Brisbane at Windaroo Lakes Golf Course from the 19th -21st January. The course is no stranger to hosting big events, with it being the current site for the PGA Trainee Championships. Following the Qualifying Tournament, the ALPG played host to four Pro-Am’s, providing an opportunity for players to sharpen their games before the bulk of the season begins and earn vital points to their order of merit standing which boosts their chances of qualifying for the larger events throughout the season. The first of the Pro-Am’s was the Windaroo Lakes ALPG ProAm, played at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club on the 22nd January, where an international field of 84 professionals will competed in a one day event for a $20,000 purse. This was the first year of the event, and the ALPG was excited to be working with such an innovative and forward thinking club.
giving our international visitors an opportunity to experience a true Australian celebration, as well as explore some regions they may not get the opportunity to otherwise visit. Heading to another popular holiday destination in New South Wales, the ladies on the ALPG Tour teed up in the second Aoyuan International Moss Vale Pro-Am at Moss Vale Golf Club in the Southern Highlands on the 28th and 29th January. The event has increased from one day in 2019 to two days in 2020, with an increase in purse size to $30,000. To finish the Pro-Am swing, players found themselves continuing south to the gold fields of Ballarat where the third Ballarat Icons Pro-Am was played on the 1st and 2nd of February at Ballarat Golf Club. Day one was played in the format of a traditional pro-am where three amateurs played alongside one ALPG professional. Day two saw the professionals paired together to create a typical tournament atmosphere, no doubt the competition was tough as the players vied for a share of the of the $30,000 purse.
The tour then trekked down the east coast to Yamba Golf Club for the Findex Yamba Pro-Am on the 24th January. This was the seventh time Yamba Golf Club has hosted an ALPG Pro-Am and the event continually proves to be a popular destination for our female players with the area’s pristine beaches, holiday atmosphere and challenging golf course. The course hosted a field of 84 professional players competing for $20,000 in prizemoney for the one day event.
Down the highway to the Bellarine Peninsula, the ISPS Handa Vic Open will be the first of the major championships on the ALPG schedule in 2020. Played from the 6th – 9th of February at 13th Beach Golf Links, the co-sanctioned LPGA event will see 144 competitors vying for the AUD$1.5 million purse on offer. The tournament continues to go from strength to strength in its eighth year of the new format, whereby male and female players compete on the same course, at the same time, for the same size purse. When the tournament was resurrected by Golf Victoria back in 2012, each field competed for a total purse of $150,000. In 2020 the players will be competing for 10 times that amount with some of the greatest male and female talents making the trip down under for this unique concept.
The tour took a very short break over the Australia Day weekend,
Making a quick turnaround, the tour heads west to the city
Inbee Park
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Nelly Korda
Ladies GOLF Summer/Autumn 2019/20 • ISSUE 26
Minjee Lee www.ladiesgolfmagazine.com.au
