Putt-ing Redcliffe on the map
Redcliffe Golf Club will this year host one of the biggest pro-am tournaments in Australia.
The Hutchinson Builders Redcliffe Pro-Am on July 15-16 will have a $60,000 prize purse and is set to attract the best professional players in the country.
Sponsors and invited members of Redcliffe Golf Club will play with the pros, entry will be free for spectators and a host of additional attractions will set up over the two days.
Australia wide
“This will put our course on the map,” said Redcliffe’s Director of Golf Chris Adnams, “and will take us Australia wide. People will stand up and take notice.
“There will be a limited number of entries and a lot of professional players will be wanting to play in this. We’ve already had 75 and there may eventually be well over 100.”
Half the planned 132 pro-am entries will be professionals, said Adnams with positions on the Australian PGA’s Order of Merit deciding who is accepted.
Exciting times
Two years ago, the Redcliffe Pro-Am, the club’s first in 22 years and with a $30,000 prize fund, had to turn away around 50 pros. This year it may be more.
“It’s exciting,” said Adnams, “we’re going to get the best-of-the-best pros wanting to play because it is a great prize pool. For some it may be their biggest payday of the year.”
Redcliffe’s Golf Operations Manager Hannah Mason said organising a pro-am was a “massive effort”.
“You have to create the event, draw players and sponsors, you need the committee onside and members giving up their course for a couple of days,” she said.
Huge start
Adnams said the event was “blessed” with the level of support it was receiving.
“We thought this year let’s try to go one better than 2019 and get $40,000-$50,000,” he said.
“Hutchinson Builders has generously come on board as naming rights sponsor for the 2021 Redcliffe Pro-Am and that was a huge start for us.
“A couple of partnering sponsors from 2019 doubled their commitment, there are other sponsors as well and all of a sudden we had a $60,000 pro-am.”
Shootout
The Hutchinson Builders Redcliffe Pro-Am will be on July 15-16. Play will be from 10.30am on day one and 10am on day two. Entry for spectators will be free.
The main tournament will be stroke play. Then the top eight professionals will go into a four-hole match play shootout for $5000 winner-takes-all.
The remaining professionals will have a nearest-the-pin shootout on the 18th hole for $1000.
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