PGA Tour member Victor Perez [above] Leading a group of DP World Tour champions and rising stars in summer golf's two major events: the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Melbourne.
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 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from 21 to 24 November will kick off the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule, before heading to the famous Melbourne Sand Strip for the Australian Open (28 to 12 November January 1st).
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).
They will compete in both the Open and PGA events, while 2024 Asia Pacific Amateur champion Ding Wenyi from China will make his DP World Tour debut as a professional at Royal Queensland.
“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,” Perez said.
“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 Brisbane and Melbourne is like being away from the ballpark.
“Both tournaments have a great history and a great list of winners and I'd love to put my name on one of the trophies. But it's going to be tough against Australia.”
Smith, who finished fourth at the weekend's Andalusia Masters, currently sits 13th in the Dubai Tour standings 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’ll have a great two weeks in Australia.”
Paul's resume includes the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, as well as a runner-up finish at the French Open earlier this month, the highlight of his 2024 season.
A regular player for Australia and a 2016 Ryder Cup representative, Cabrera-Bello has climbed to No. 16 in the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour wins on his record, most recently Spanish Open 2021.
Nergaard-Petersen has cracked the world's top 100 this year, notching three wins and a runner-up finish on the Challenge Tour and most recently a tie for fourth at the DP World Tour's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship name.
Ding, who has only been a pro for a few weeks, has been considered one of the most promising young players in world golf since finishing runner-up to Australian Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne. , he will visit Australia for the first time. In October, he captured the 2024 AAC Championship in Japan.
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 of 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. Credit goes to us and 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.