The northern NSW town of Yamba will rub shoulders with some of the sport’s best female golfers when the Women’s NSW Open Championship lands at Yamba Golf & Country Club in 2024.
The NSW Government, through Destination NSW and the Department of Regional NSW, has partnered with Golf NSW to secure a bumper program of men’s and women’s professional tournaments and qualifying events from 2024-2026.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Paul Toole said the program of golf events would allow some of Australia’s leading golfers to compete at the best courses across regional NSW.
“These events will inject more money into our regional hotels, restaurants and small businesses and put more regional courses like the Yamba Golf & Country Club on the ‘must visit’ list of passionate golfers,” Mr Toole said.
“We expect that these 51 strategically placed golf events over three years will attract more than 16,000 visitors to the host regions, injecting an estimated $13.58 million into the regional NSW visitor economy.”
Golf NSW CEO, Stuart Fraser thanked the NSW Government for its support.
“Golf is as popular as ever and so the variety of tournaments we can deliver for our players is growing thanks to the support of our partners, in particular the NSW Government,” Mr Fraser said.
“It is an exciting era for us to enter this three-year partnership and to plan our events schedule knowing that we will be supporting regional NSW and giving back to local communities.
The Golf NSW major event calendar from 2024-2026 will include:Men’s NSW Open Championship (annual)Men’s NSW Open Regional qualifying events (× 6 annually)Men’s NSW Senior Open Championship (annual)Women’s NSW Open Championship (annual)Women’s NSW Open Regional qualifying events (x 6 annually)Australian Women’s Classic (annual)World Sand Greens Championship – Men & Women (annual)
FAST FACTS:
Host Venue: Yamba Golf & Country Club, River St Yamba, NSW 2464Â
Dates: February/March 2024Â
Tournament Website:Â https://www.womensnswopen.com.au
Venue Website:https://www.yambagolf.com.au
Prize Fund: AU$500,000 (Min)Â
The Venue:
With its idyllic seaside location, Yamba Golf & Country Club offers a picturesque course, kept to tournament standards all year round.Â
The course places a premium on position off the tee as much as length and will be a worthy challenge for the competitors vying for the Jan Stephenson Trophy.
History:
First held in 2006, the tournament has been the catalyst for some of the brightest stars in the game to begin their careers, while for others, victory in the Women’s NSW Open helped underline their legacy to the sport.
Legends & Today’s Stars
Dame Laura Davies, widely acknowledged as one of Women’s golf’s greatest-ever players, lifted the trophy in 2008.
Current women’s world number one, Kiwi Lydia Ko won the Women’s NSW Open aged 13 in 2012; her first ever win in a women’s professional event.
Two players have successfully defended their women’s NSW Open crown, New South Wales’s Sarah Oh in 2009 and 2010, while England’s Meghan MacLaren successfully defended her 2018 Crown (won at Coffs Harbour) with a hard-fought victory at Queanbeyan in 2019.
