Golf clubs to host $50,000 regional qualifiers

THE Northern Rivers will host regional qualifying tournaments with some of the best golfers aiming to advance to the NSW Open.

Teven Valley and Lismore Workers Golf Club will host the $50,000 events in July.

It will be a quality field ahead of the major open in November with the top three from each event earning a spot in the state championship.

Golf NSW general manager Olivia Wilson said the qualifiers are a springboard for amateur golfers.

“The series, as it has done in recent years, can really help a future star of our sport get to the next level,” she said.

“With a guaranteed place in the $800,000 Ford NSW Open, players will be aiming to lock up their spot quickly.”

The Northern Rivers is the only region to host two qualifiers in the six-event series.

It will be the second time Teven has hosted the qualifiers, with Canberra professional Matt Millar winning the event last year.

Lismore golf club has a reputation as one of the best 18-hole courses on the Northern Rivers, while Teven has won major awards since it was redeveloped.

Australian golf legend Craig Parry designed the new-look course in 2017 and it has attracted interest from some of the best golfers in the country.

It is the only nine-hole course included in the Golf Australia Top 100 – 2023 Public Access Courses guide.

Lismore has been the home of senior PGA events and has also produced the likes of Sam Brazel, Rhein Gibson and Kane Webber, who have gone on to play professionally.

Golf NSW chief operating officer Graeme Phillipson said the tournaments provide a financial boost and further highlight what the courses have to offer.

“The Regional Open Qualifying Series boosts the host clubs and surrounding towns,” he said.

“The players need somewhere to stay and places to eat and drink, so the visitor economy at each location does benefit.”

The Teven tournament will be played on July 24-26, with the three-day Lismore event to follow on July 27.

Spectators are welcome to attend both events.