The six European players will compete against Australia's top golfers, including Jason Day, Cam Smith, in two events co-sanctioned by Australia's Challenger PGA Tour and DP World ), Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman travel.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 21 to 24 will kick off the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule, followed by a trip to the famous Melbourne Sand Strip for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open (November 28 to December 1)).
The first batch of DP World Tour players to book flights to Australia include Perez, England's Jordan Smith, Germany's Yannick Paul, Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello, and Danish young player Rasmus Nergaard-Petersen and former Ryder Cup player Nico Korsatz (Belgium).
Perez said: “Australia is one of the best golf destinations in the world. You often hear players on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour talking about the tournaments and courses there and how good the golf is.
“I played in the BMW Australian PGA Championship in 2017 but not at Royal Queensland and I haven’t played in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open yet so I can’t wait to get to Australia and enjoy the world class golf courses and see Brees What's there in Ban and Melbourne is like being away from the field.
“There's great history with both; great lists of winners and I'd love to put my name on one of those trophies. But it's going to be tough against Australia.”
Smith, who finished fourth at the weekend's Andalusia Masters, is currently 13th in the standings for the trip to Dubai and is a former champion of the Portugal Masters and Porsche European Open.
Smith said: “The two Australian Championships are the start of the 2024/25 DP World Tour and I hope to get off to a good start by challenging at the PGA and the Open and possibly winning at either of them.” .
“I know Australian fans love their sport. I'm looking forward to big crowds, plenty of sunshine and three pitches which will provide a proper test of our competition.
“Kingston Heath, Victoria and the Melbourne Sands in general are all world-renowned so I can’t wait to challenge those two courses and Royal Queensland stands out among the DPWT players who have played there in recent years. The reputation and image of the company are undoubtedly improving.
“Coupled with the great atmosphere that the BMW Australian PGA Championship is known for, there’s no doubt we’re going to have a great two weeks in Australia.”
Yannik Paul, whose resume includes the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open and a runner-up finish at the French Open earlier this month, is heading into 2024.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello, a regular visitor to Australia and a 2016 Ryder Cup representative, has risen to No. 16 in the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour titles Winning record, most recently the 2021 Spanish Open.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has three wins and a runner-up finish on the Challenge Tour and most recently a tie for fourth at the DP World Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship This year, it has ranked among the top 100 in the world.
A regular visitor to Australia, Colsaerts won three DP World Tour titles and returned to prominence this year with a runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Nick Dastey, General Manager, Australian PGA Championship and Global Tour Relations, said: “The ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship benefit greatly from the strong international player base that comes to Australia each year. Thanks to our partnership with DP World Tour.
“They add depth to our field and provide the Australian Challenger PGA Tour with the opportunity to challenge themselves against proven tournament champions.
“Their presence helps us gain exposure to a greater international audience at tournaments, tours and partners.”
The remaining DP World Tour players for the PGA and Open will be finalized in the coming weeks.
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