Top players chasing biggest pro-am prize

Top touring professionals are heading to Redcliffe Golf Club this week for Australia’s most lucrative adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.

The Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am, held over two rounds tomorrow and Friday (July 14-15), has $65,000 prize money, up $5000 on last year's figure.

“We wanted to go better than last year and have worked hard to get that figure to $65,000,” Redcliffe's Director of Golf Chris Adnams said.

“We have a better field than last year, there’s more depth with players coming back from Europe and Japan.

“I think it’s going to be a great tournament.”

Defending title

Touring pro Doug Klein (main picture), who works at Redcliffe Pro Shop, is back to defend the title he won last year and has already shared top spot in pro-ams at Blackwater and Pioneer Valley this year.

Klein was also tied second at Emu Park, one shot behind Sam Brazel, who has won the 2021 Emerald Pro-Am and Coolangatta Tweed Pro-Ams and will line-up in Clontarf tomorrow.

Both will be joined by Jake McLeod, the former Queensland Amateur title holder who was equal sixth at the 2021 Australian PGA Championship and third in the 2018 Australian Open.

Also Deyen Lawson who was on the European Tour in 2019 and had a hole-in-one at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in South Africa. Last year he won four PGA Pro-Am titles.

Local hopes

With them is Jake Higginbottom has played the Australian PGA and Asian Tours for most of his career after taking the Queensland and New Zealand Open titles as an amateur.

Among the local entries is Danny Nisbet, originally from Caboolture, who has three PGA Tour Australasia titles to his credit and also plays on the Asian Tour.

In total 67 players have entered the Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am. They will begin in pairs on the par 71 course with an 11am shotgun start tomorrow and Friday.

Shoot out

At the end of Friday's rounds the top eight will go into a four-hole shootout for $5000. The remaining players will chase $1000 in a pitching competition to the 18th green.

Additional entertainment will be set-up around the course, including a DJ and party hole.

Redcliffe Golf Club is in Handsworth Street, Clontarf. Entry is free. Park at the club and in surrounding streets.

For further information phone the Pro Shop on 3284 2957.