Perth will be home to Australia’s richest golf tournament from October next year when the inaugural Perth International will be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from 18-21 October, 2012.
The tournament will be co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour and upon announcing the US$2 million championship Western Australian Tourism Minister Dr Kim Hames said the tournament should attract some of the world’s best golfers.
He said: ““Perth has a strong history of hosting successful international golf events, notably the Heineken Classic, Johnnie Walker Classic and the Lexus Cup, and this tournament will well and truly put the city back on the golfing map.
“The Perth International is a joint initiative of Eventscorp and International Management Group (IMG) to bring another major international golf event to Perth.
“IMG will be the owner and promoter of the tournament, which will be sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia,” added Dr Hames. “The European Tour is currently experiencing unprecedented success and boasts the top three ranked players in the world.”
Brian Thorburn, CEO of the PGA Tour of Australasia, is looking forward to the event as they look to develop it into one of the top events on the calendar over the coming years.
“The PGA Tour of Australasia is delighted to add the Perth International to its 2012 schedule and look forward to welcoming the European Tour and its players back to Australia”, said Thorburn.
“Perth has a proud history of staging world class golf tournaments and, following on from one of Australia’s most successful golf seasons ever, we look forward to working with the State Government and indeed all parties to grow this prestigious tournament over the next three years.”
The Perth International will mark the return of Australia as a destination on the International Schedule in 2012 and Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy for The European Tour, was delighted to welcome it back.
He said: “Returning to Australia, and the city of Perth in particular, will further enhance the global nature of The European Tour. We would like to thank the Western Australian Government for their valuable support and look forward to working with our partners at the PGA Tour of Australasia, Eventscorp and IMG to ensure a successful return to Australia for our Members.”
