Peter Cooke – file photo – defending champion but his win was four years ago
Just over a month since the PGA Tour of Australasia completed its 2022/2023 season it is about to begin again with the staging of the PNG Open in Port Moresby, the first time the event has been held since 2019 due to the impact of Covid 19.
While carrying prizemoney of only A$180,000, the event allows an opportunity for many of the young Australasians so deprived of tournament golf during much of the Covid era to get their new season of to a flying start.
The defending champion is South Australian Peter Cooke who despite his win back in 2019 was required to return to Tour School recently where he regained his playing privileges by finishing 13th of the 30 who gained full status cards.
Cooke’s best finish since his one and only win in PNG was when 3rd at the Gippsland 6 event in 2021 but he has struggled through much of his recent events, missing five of his last six cuts on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Amongst the players who might be considered amongst the favourites are 2o21 WA PGA Champion Jay MacKenzie, the in form Lincoln Tighe who has finished 2nd and 3rd in his most recent starts on the Australasian Tour and Queensland’s Chris Wood who featured for much of the NZ Open before finishing 6th in a considerably stronger field than he faces this week.
