The 150th Open champion Cameron Smith will make an emotional return home when he tees it up in the 2022 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
The World Number Two is enjoying a career-best year having won the Sentry Tournament of Champions and THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR before his major breakthrough at St Andrews last month.
The 29-year-old is now intent on capping off his unforgettable 2022 with more silverware on home soil, when he joins fellow Australians Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee and New Zealander Ryan Fox in the $2 million Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane from November 24-27.
“I’ve had an unbelievable year and to be coming home to play tournaments is the icing on the cake,” said Smith.
“I’m so excited to see friends and family again. Some of them I haven’t seen for years now and once I get to the golf course, I’ve got my eye on some more trophies.
“Winning the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in 2017 and 2018 was awesome so to be playing in Queensland again, wearing my maroon shirt on Sunday around Royal Queensland, will be very special."
Smith will then tee it up in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs from December 1-4, where he will be joined by AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai in the first national open to feature men’s, women’s and All Abilities events, playing for equal prize money of minimum $3.4 million.
“It will be my first time playing in Melbourne since the 2019 Presidents Cup which was one of the best experiences I’ve had in golf,” said Smith, who will join his good mate Marc Leishman and PGA TOUR and DP World Tour winner Lucas Herbert in the field.
“The crowds were incredible that week and I’m looking forward to a similar atmosphere at Victoria and Kingston Heath.”
Buhai, 33, is the latest high-profile international to confirm their place in the tournament - after New Zealand’s top-ranked men’s golfer Fox kicked off the international signings - and the South African’s commitment is a major coup.
She won her first Major on the fourth playoff hole at Muirfield and, like Smith, she is eager to top off her stellar year down under.
“I love coming to Australia and playing on some of the best golf courses in the world,” Buhai said.
“I played at Victoria Golf Club in the Women’s Australian Open in 2014 and, even though I missed the cut, I know it’s a fantastic venue and Melbourne is a great place. If I can add another trophy to my collection that would be a great way to end an already very special year.”
The Fortinet Australian PGA Championship is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency. Tickets, Hospitality and VIP Experiences are on sale via Ticketek now.
The ISPS HANDA Australian Open is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria. Tickets, Hospitality and VIP Experiences are also on sale via Ticketek now.
