Local golfers tee off in $50,000 regional qualifying series

AROUND 100 golfers competed in the $50,000 Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series, with two of the six events played in the Northern Rivers.

The first two rounds were held at Lismore Workers Golf Club and Teven Valley Golf Course.

The series has become a key part of Australia’s domestic golf calendar, attracting many of the nation’s top players.

Local competitors with national and international wins, including Sam Brazel, Matt Crandell, Jay Mackenzie and Kyle Underwood, were among those in the field.

The leading players from the series will qualify for the $800,000 NSW Open in the Hunter Valley in November.

Lismore hosted the qualifier for the first time and has already secured another round for 2026.

Club professional Luke Ryan said it was the biggest event the club had ever staged.

“It is probably the biggest event we’ve ever hosted and about four months of planning went into it,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of rain recently, but we couldn’t have been happier with how the course looked.

“Our greenkeepers did a fantastic job, and we had plenty of community support with about 30 blokes turning up for a working bee a few days before it.”

Teven has hosted the series for the past two years on its award-winning Zoysia grass course, redeveloped in 2017.

Eighteen-hole pro-am events also gave other local golfers the chance to compete alongside elite players.

“It gives them the chance to play in a quality field, there is local knowledge and it’s a great opportunity to perform well when you host these sorts of events,” Ryan said.

“From a Workers Club point of view, I know we’ll be looking forward to running it again next year.”