The Australian PGA Seniors Championship is a golf tournament in Australia.

History

The inaugural tournament was held in 1986. Legendary golfer

Peter Thomson Peter Thomson may refer to: * Peter Thomson (golfer) (1929–2018), Australian golfer * Peter Thomson (diplomat) (born 1948), Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations * Peter Thomson (footballer) (born 1977), English footballer * Peter ...

referred to the tournament as "a breakthrough" for Australian senior golf. The 1986 and 1987 events were played concurrently with the Rich River Classic, both being won by the American

Orville Moody Orville James Moody (December 9, 1933 – August 8, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the U.S. Open in 1969, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qu ...

. The Rich River Classic was discontinued in 1988 because of a clash of dates, but Rich River continued to host the seniors championship until 1995. The 1988 championship was won by

Jerry Stolhand Jerry Stolhand (April 17, 1935 – February 1, 1989) was an American golfer. Stolhand turned pro in the mid-1950s and quickly had success, winning the Louisiana State Open. However, he ultimately regained his amateur status and moved to Hawaii. W ...

. Stolhand, an American who had lived in Australia since 1969, was killed in a car accident in February 1989, shortly before the 1989 championship. In 1996 the star American golfer

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

played the event. It was the first event he played in Australia in a decade. He played it as a gift to his friend

Bruce Devlin Bruce William Devlin (born 10 October 1937) is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer. Devlin was born in Armidale, Australia. He turned pro in 1961 and joined the PGA Tour in 1962 after an amateur career in Au ...

who designed Gold Creek Country Club, the course the event was played on. He went on to win. In recent years the event has been held at Richmond Golf Club. In late 2020 it was announced that the course got a two-year extension to host the tournament through 2022.

Winners

Source:

References

{{Reflist Golf tournaments in Australia Recurring sporting events established in 1986 1986 establishments in Australia