The Victorian PGA Championship is a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

tournament played in Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It has been part of the PGA Tour of Australasia each season since 2009. It is the oldest of the state professional championships, having been first held in 1922.

History

The first Victorian Professional Championship was held in November 1922 and was open to any professional in Australia and New Zealand. It was a 72-hole stroke-play event with 36 holes played at Royal Melbourne on 6 November and 36 holes played at

Victoria Golf Club The Victoria Golf Club is a golf course located in the city of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada, which is part of metropolitan Victoria. It was established in 1893, and is now the oldest golf club in Canada still located on its original site; a r ...

two day later. It attracted a number of New South Wales players as well as the professionals from Victoria. Billy Iles and

Dan Soutar Daniel Gordon Soutar (3 December 1882 – 30 November 1937) was an Australian professional golfer. He pioneered professional golf in Australia, bringing his Scottish work ethic and all-round skills to influence the game as a whole from teachin ...

, one of the NSW players, were tied on 158 after the first day's play. Soutar won after the second day with a score of 313, a stroke ahead of Tom Howard, another NSW professional, with Iles dropping back to third place. The 1923 championship followed the same format as in 1922.

Arthur Le Fevre Arthur Le Fevre (1887 – 27 June 1957) was an Australian professional golfer and golf club maker. He won the 1921 Australian Open. Early life Le Fevre was born in Rye, Sussex, England in 1887 as Arthur Feaver, the son of Henry Feaver and Carol ...

, the Royal Melbourne professional. led by 3 strokes after the first day but, with two rounds of 74 of the second day, pulled away and won by 14 strokes.

Rowley Banks Rowley may refer to: Places Canada * Rowley, Alberta * Rowley Island, Nunavut United Kingdom * Rowley, County Durham, a hamlet * Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Rowley, Shropshire, a location in Shropshire, England * Rowley Regis, ...

and

Charlie Campbell Charlie Campbell (born January 5, 1988, in Mundelein, Illinois) is an American Association football, soccer player. Career College and amateur Campbell attended Mundelein High School and played club soccer for the Chicago Sockers, before goin ...

, from NSW, tied for second place. The only change in format in 1924 was the order of the courses, with the Victoria course played first. A number of NSW players were expected but none appeared.

won by a stroke, with a score of 310. In 1925, the first day's play was at

Kingston Heath Golf Club Kingston Heath Golf Club is one of the premier golf clubs in Australia, located in Cheltenham, Victoria. The course is situated on the sandbelt region in the southeast suburbs of Melbourne famed for its golf courses, with Kingston Heath consis ...

, with the second day at Royal Melbourne. Ted Smith, from Tasmania, trailed after the first day, but with rounds of 73 and 76 at Royal Melbourne, won by 8 strokes. From 1926 the championship was played at a single venue. Ted Smith, now a Victorian professional, won again in 1926, at Royal Melbourne, with some good scoring in difficult conditions on the second day. Smith was in the United States at the time of the 1927 championship and didn't defend his title at

Metropolitan Golf Club The Metropolitan Golf Club is one of the renowned sandbelt courses of Melbourne and is widely recognised as one of the finest championship courses in Australia. It is located in Oakleigh South, in the city's south-eastern suburbs, approximately ...

Horace Boorer Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his '' ...

won the title by two strokes. The 1928 championship at Kingston Heath was won by

Rufus Stewart William Rufus Clyde Stewart (27 September 1893 – 23 April 1964) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the 1927 Australian Open and the 1929 Australian Professional Championship. In 1928 he travelled to Britain and America, playing in ...

from South Australia in a close contest with

Billy Bolger William Joseph Bolger (20 January 1910 – 27 May 1977) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Australian Open in 1934, finishing three strokes ahead of Gene Sarazen. He also won the New South Wales Professional Championship twice, ...

from New South Wales. The championship became a match-play event in 1929. There was a 36-hole stroke-play qualifying day after which the leading 8 played 36-hole match-play. From 1933 the number of qualifiers was increased to 16, extending the event to 5 days. Defending champion, Rufus Stewart, reached final in 1929, but lost 6&5 to

Reg Jupp Reg or REG may refer to: * Reginald (disambiguation) * Reg or desert pavement * Raising for Effective Giving, a charity * Random event generator (parapsychology) * Raptor Education Group * Regal Entertainment Group * Regular language * .reg MS Wind ...

. There were a number of two-time winners in the 1930s.

George Naismith George William Naismith (1909 – 23 May 1983) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the 1937 Australian Open. Early life Naismith was initially an assistant professional at Kingston Heath Golf Club. In 1929 he was appointed the profess ...

won in 1932 and 1934 beating

both times, Boorer losing three finals in a row.

Ted Naismith TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

won in 1935 and 1936, while

Charlie Connors Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...

won in 1937 and 1938. Ted Naismith reached his third successive final in 1937, losing to Connors. In 1939, Connors himself reached his third final in a row, but lost to Martin Smith. The 1946 and 1947 championships were played as 72-hole stroke-play events. Eric Cremin won them both, but my small margins. In 1946 he tied with another New South Wales professional, Norman Von Nida. There was an 18-hole playoff with Cremin winning by 3 strokes, 70 to 73. The following year he won by a stroke from

Denis Denehey Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–14 ...

, having trailed by 3 shots after three rounds. In 1948 the event returned to its pre-war format, with 16 qualifiers on the first day, playing four days of match-play. Cremin did not compete, the event clashing with the

New South Wales Close Championship The New South Wales Open is an annual golf tournament held in New South Wales, Australia. The event was founded in 1931 as the New South Wales Close Championship, being restricted to residents of New South Wales, becoming the New South Wales Ope ...

Ossie Pickworth Horace Henry Alfred "Ossie" Pickworth (17 January 1918 – 23 September 1969) was a leading Australian professional golfer of the 1940s and 1950s, winner of three successive Australian Open titles from 1946 to 1948, the last of which came in ...

led the qualifying by 9 strokes and won the championship, beating Sam Walsh 10&9 in the final. Cremin won his third title in 1949, beating

Jack Harris Jack Harris may refer to: Entertainment * Jack Harris (film editor) (1905–1971), English film editor * Jack H. Harris (1918–2017), American film producer * Jack Harris (broadcaster) (born 1941), American radio personality based in Tampa, Florid ...

in final. Harris had defeated Pickworth in the first match-play round. Harris reached the final again in 1950 beating Pickworth in the final. The match was decided at the 37th hole, the only match-play final that went to extra holes. Martin Smith won his second title in 1951, 12 years after his first.

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 ...

won the championship in 1952 and 1953. In 1952 he beat Pickworth in a close final, but he won the 1953 final against

by a record score, 12 & 11. Pickworth had his second and third wins in 1954 and 1955, beating Harris on both occasions. In 1956 the championship became a 72-hole stroke-play event.

won his third successive title and fourth in all, finishing two strokes ahead of

. Harris won in 1957 and 1959 but was beaten by Peter Mills in 1958, who won by 6 strokes. For some years the prize money on offer had not attracted out-of-state professionals, but in 1960 three local businesses sponsored the event, which had prize money of £1,200, attracting a number of the leading New South Wales professionals. However, Harris retained his title and won the £400 first prize, with

Kel Nagle Kelvin David George Nagle AM (21 December 1920 – 29 January 2015) was an Australian professional golfer best known for winning The Open Championship in 1960. He won at least one tournament each year from 1949 to 1975. Biography Nagle was bor ...

a stroke behind in second place. Prize money dropped to £500 in 1961 but most of the leading Australians played, with the event played on the Monday and Tuesday after the

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

, which was played at Victoria Golf Club, finishing on the Saturday. Harris won for the fifth time, two ahead of the Australian Open winner, Frank Phillips. The prize money was maintained at £500 up to 1965. Three New South Wales professionals won this period,

in 1962, Bruce Devlin in 1964 and Alan Murray in 1965, with Harris winning for the sixth time in 1963. From 1966 to 1976 the championship returned to being a largely domestic event. In 1969,

came close to winning his seventh title. He was tied with Geoff Parslow but lost the 18-hole playoff by 8 strokes. In 1977 the championship was incorporated into the Albury-Wodonga Classic, which had prize money of A$15,000. It was won by Vaughan Somers from Queensland. In 1978 and 1979 the event was known as the Garden State Victorian PGA Championship and had prize money of A$50,000. The American Lanny Wadkins won in 1978, with Ian Stanley winning in 1979 after a playoff. Loss of sponsorship meant that prize money dropped to A$15,000 in 1980, below the minimum for a tour event. A full tour event was planned for 1981 but dropped because of lack of sponsorship, eventually being replaced by an event at Warrnambool, with smaller prize money. The 1982 event was also a non-tour event, reduced to 54 holes with prize money of A$10,000. An event was planned at Woodlands in 1983 but was cancelled due to lack and sponsorship. The event was moved to Warrnambool, who had already secured enough prize money for a full tour event. The event, which eventually had prize money of A$40,000, was won by Vaughan Somers, his second win in the championship. The event remained at Warrnambool for a further three years. Prize money rose to A$50,000 in 1984,

Wayne Riley Wayne Riley (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian professional golfer. Career Riley was born in Sydney. He turned professional in 1977, and started out on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He has won several tournaments in Australia and New Zea ...

winning after a playoff against Ian Baker-Finch. Rodger Davis won in 1985, 7 strokes ahead of the field. Prize money doubled to A$100,000 in 1986, with Wayne Smith winning by 2 strokes. The Warrnambool event was cancelled in 1987 because of the lack of TV coverage and the championship was played at the end of December, as part of the 36-hole Carpet Call pro-am. The event returned at Keysborough in January 1989 as a full tour event, with prize money of A$100,000.

David Ecob David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

won by a stroke from

Peter Senior Peter Albert Charles Senior (born 31 July 1959) is an Australian professional golfer who has won more than twenty tournaments around the world. Senior has competed mainly on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where he has had the most success and wo ...

. The event was played over 54 holes from 1991 to 1993 before returning to the 72-hole format in 1994 as part of the new second-tier Foundation Tour, Stuart Appleby winning the event after a playoff. The event later became part of the

Von Nida Tour The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ra ...

before the second-tier events were added to the main tour in 2009. Since 2000 both Gareth Paddison and Ashley Hall have won the championship twice. From 2002 to 2021 total prize money was in the range A$100,000 to A$137,500, but was increased to A$250,000 for the centenary championship in 2022.

Winners

, - , colspan="9" align="center" , ''1940–1945: No tournament due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

'' , - , align=center, 1939 , , , , Martin Smith , , colspan=3 align=center, 5 and 4 , ,

, , Commonwealth , , , - , align=center, 1938 , , , ,

(2) , , colspan=3 align=center, 8 and 7 , , Ron Harris , , Metropolitan , , , - , align=center, 1937 , , , ,

, , colspan=3 align=center, 5 and 4 , ,

, , Victoria , , , - , align=center, 1936 , , , ,

(2) , , colspan=3 align=center, 5 and 3 , , Bert Ferguson , , Metropolitan , , , - , align=center, 1935 , , , ,

, , colspan=3 align=center, 5 and 4 , , Bill Fowler , , Riversdale , , , - , align=center, 1934 , , , ,

(2) , , colspan=3 align=center, 9 and 8 , ,

, , Kingston Heath , , , - , align=center, 1933 , , , , Bert Ferguson , , colspan=3 align=center, 2 and 1 , ,

, , Commonwealth , , , - , align=center, 1932 , , , ,

, , colspan=3 align=center, 5 and 4 , ,

, , Royal Melbourne , , , - , align=center, 1931 , , , , Bill Fowler , , colspan=3 align=center, 2 up , ,

, , Victoria , , , - , align=center, 1930 , , , , Don Thomson , , colspan=3 align=center, 4 and 3 , ,

, , Kingston Heath , , , - , align=center, 1929 , , , ,

, , colspan=3 align=center, 6 and 5 , ,

, , Royal Melbourne , , , - , align=center, 1928 , , , ,

, , align=center, 314 , , align=center, , , 2 strokes , ,

, , Kingston Heath , , , - , 1927 , , , ,

, , align=center, 302 , , align=center, , , 2 strokes , ,

, , Metropolitan , , , - , align=center, 1926 , , , , Ted Smith (2) , , align=center, 311 , , align=center, , , 8 strokes , ,

, , Royal Melbourne , , , - , align=center, 1925 , , , , Ted Smith , , align=center, 305 , , align=center, , , 8 strokes , ,

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Coll ...

, , Kingston Heath/
Royal Melbourne , , , - , align=center, 1924 , , , ,

, , align=center, 310 , , align=center, , , 1 stroke , ,

, , Victoria/
Royal Melbourne , , , - , align=center, 1923 , , , ,

, , align=center, 304 , , align=center, , , 14 strokes , ,

, , Royal Melbourne/
Victoria , , , - , align=center, 1922 , , , ,

, , align=center, 313 , , align=center, , , 1 stroke , , Tom Howard , , Royal Melbourne/
Victoria , ,

Notes

References

External links

Coverage on PGA Tour of Australasia's official site
{{coord, -38.405, 144.850, display=title, type:event PGA Tour of Australasia events Golf tournaments in Australia Golf in Victoria (Australia) Recurring sporting events established in 1924 1924 establishments in Australia