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PGA stays at Coolum

PGA stays at Coolum

03/09/2010 05:50:53 AM

PGA of Australia has extended its agreement with the Queensland government to ensure the Australian PGA Championship remains on the Sunshine Coast for the next three years.

Australia's oldest professional golf tournament has been hosted at the Hyatt Regency Coolum since 2002 and an announcement in Brisbane on Tuesday confirmed the resort would continue to be the event's home until 2012.

Queensland's minister for sport Phil Reeves was thrilled that the partnership between Queensland Events and PGA of Australia could be renewed.

"2010 marks a decade of support for the Championship and each year the field of players and surrounding events just get better and better," Reeves said.

"The course at Coolum is remarkable and a major factor as to why the tournament could remain in Queensland when so many other states wanted to take it from us."

Popular Queenslander Rod Pampling was the players' representative at Tuesday's announcement at Brisbane's Parliament House.

Pampling celebrated PGA of Australia's decision and suggested the profile of the PGA Championship had been building throughout the world - mainly due to the lavish surrounds of the Hyatt Regency.

"It's been great, in the early 2000s not a lot of guys (from overseas) talked about coming to Australia, but now we talk about it a lot more with them and they certainly get interested - especially with Coolum," Pampling said.

"To finish off in Coolum - they love that ... and when they come, they have such a great time and they tell other players, so it's a domino effect."

Pampling said the majority of Australian golfers are always looking forward to signing off for the year at Coolum while they battle through a busy schedule on the professional circuit.

The 40-year-old, who finished runner up in the 2003 Australian PGA, added that if the tournament shifted away from the Sunshine Coast it would lose a lot of the attraction for those making a homecoming.

"It began as the Coolum Classic and it was fun and only got serious for the final nine holes, now it's fun, but a bit more serious - there are a whole lot of benefits that come with winning the tournament," he said.

"It still has the fun atmosphere off the course - you can go to the beach and all the pools - there is always a great function on, so it has that fun appeal to it."

"We don't get that throughout the year ... and I don't think you could have that anywhere else (apart from Coolum)."

"It's the whole resort package that they have - it's hard to find anywhere else in Australia that has that package to offer."

The Australian PGA Championship will take place on December 9-12 and will again be the final event on the Australasian and OneAsia tours.

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images
Comments
Posted by T RYAN at
06/05/2010 03:31 PM
CAN YOU TELL ME THE DATES OF THE COOLUM CLASSIC FOR 2011? THANKS
Posted by Pat at
12/12/2010 08:27 PM
CAN YOU TELL ME THE DATES OF THE COOLUM CLASSIC FOR 2011? THANKS

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