Words: Release/Paul Prendergast
Photo: Karis Davidson and Sarah Hammett. Credit: Australian Golf Media
| The Australian WPGA Championship will headline the new Gold Coast Festival of Golf launched today at the world-renowned Sanctuary Cove Resort. Locked in for March 6–9 next year as part of a three-week stretch of co-sanctioned events between the WPGA Tour of Australasia and the Ladies European Tour (LET), the tournament will be played as a stand-alone event for the first time after debuting in 2022, when LPGA Tour regulars Su Oh and Grace Kim dueled in a play-off at Royal Queensland. The 2025 winner will again be awarded the Karrie Webb Cup, with the seven-time major winner continuing her involvement in the tournament, while International Women’s Day falls on the Saturday of the event and will be celebrated throughout the tournament and festival. A major event in the WPGA Tour of Australasia season, the tournament will form a central element of the Gold Coast Festival of Golf, a new joint initiative by the PGA of Australia, Mulpha Australia, Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) and Experience Gold Coast (EGC). “The WPGA Tour of Australasia has a long history in Queensland, and particularly the Gold Coast, and we are excited to be a part of what is far more than a golf tournament, with the Gold Coast Festival of Golf to be a highlight on the Australian golf calendar,” WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn said. The Gold Coast Festival of Golf will be the ultimate celebration of golf hosted in the heart of Sanctuary Cove at The Marina Village, an interactive golf lifestyle event and experience for the whole family, celebrating women’s sport with golf as the centrepiece. It will appeal to golf enthusiasts and novices alike and will attract the who’s-who of the golf industry and include a dedicated entertainment and food and beverage precinct, featuring live music, pop-up bars, a Kids’ Zone, live interactive experiences, plus golf and lifestyle displays. “The PGA of Australia is constantly looking at exciting and new ways to grow our sport in Australia, and adding another major women’s tournament and a wider event encouraging the growth of women’s professional golf is a tremendous development,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said. Present at the launch were some of South-East Queensland elite sportswomen, including elite Gold Coast golfers Karis Davidson and Sarah Hammett, who are both excited at the prospect of contesting the event at the magnificent The Palms course at the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club in March. LPGA Tour member Davidson has been a member at Sanctuary Cove for more than half her life and will tee it up in the event with hundreds of rounds’ worth of local knowledge at her disposal. As one of Australia’s best young amateur talents, Hammett also spends some of her practice time at Sanctuary Cove and will hope to be in the field next year before heading to the U.S. to study and play college golf later in 2025. Renowned for its events, including existing international festivals on the Gold Coast, Mulpha Australia is furthering its connection with Australian golf with the development of the Gold Coast Festival of Golf. “We are delighted to collaborate with the WPGA Tour of Australasia, PGA of Australia, TEQ and EGC to stage the Australian WPGA Championship and Gold Coast Festival of Golf at Sanctuary Cove,” Mulpha Australia CEO Greg Shaw said. “The Mulpha Events team have a reputation for delivering some of Australia’s most loved events, so we are incredibly excited for the opportunity to create Australia’s biggest celebration of golf at Sanctuary Cove.” Added Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club CEO Paul Sanders: “Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club is thrilled to be a partner of the WPGA Championship, showcasing the incredible talent of female golfers from around the world. As one of the best-integrated resorts in Australia, our world-class facilities, including the recently renovated The Palms golf course, will provide an unparalleled experience for players, spectators, and the community, who we look forward to welcoming for a truly exceptional event.” A regular home for top level golf, especially the women’s game, the Gold Coast will once again draw the eyes of Australia and the world with the Australian WPGA Championship. “Part of what makes the Gold Coast the lifestyle capital of Australia is its many beautiful world-class golf courses, so it’s only fitting the city will host the first standalone Australian WPGA Championship,” Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said. “The Gold Coast Festival of Golf is about much more than just golf offering a unique experience for participants, fans and families, and we look forward to partnering with the PGA of Australia, Mulpha Events and Tourism & Events Queensland to make it a huge success. It adds this prestigious golf championship to our growing list of world class sporting events on the calendar.” |
