2012 Australian PGA Championship preview
Here is what you need to know ahead of the 2012 Australian PGA Championship.
The 2012 Australian PGA Championship is set to tee off at Jurassic Park Palmer Coolum Resort tomorrow for the last time. We’d go so far as to say it is the most open field we’ve seen in Australia this year with many previous champions teeing up Coolum as well as a bunch of young Aussies looking to take home the Kirkwood Trophy, the oldest in Australian golf.
Here is our preview (including a few good bets) on what you need to know ahead of the Australian PGA Championship that has been largely overshadowed by Clive Palmer’s dinosaur, the Titanic and tributes to JFK.
TV times for the Australian PGA Championship
The field
Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Chalmers, John Senden, Mat Goggin, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby and Marc Leishman are all teeing it up this week as well as some of the older brigade, Greg Norman, Darren Clarke and Peter Senior. Check out the full field here.
Who won last year?
Greg Chalmers won the Australian PGA Championship in 2011 just a few weeks after winning the Australian Open at The Lakes. Chalmers won after a three-man playoff that included Robert Allenby and Marcus Fraser.
Who has won the most Australian PGA Championships?
Kel Nagle, golf’s oldest living major champion won the Australian PGA Championship six times between 1949 and 1968. The 1968 victory was particularly impressive as he beat Jack Nicklaus by six shots to take the title in a field that also included Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Peter Thomson. Golf’s Great Walks has a good account of the event.
“I don’t know what all those young blokes were doing out there if an old bloke like me can win.” Nagle said after the victory.
“I haven’t been great shakes as a golfer but I have been a reasonable player and managed to win a few tournaments. My putting has always been a strong point in my game and fortunately the touch returned to me for this tournament. The fast greens suited my light touch.”
John Huggan had a wonderful piece on Kel Nagle last week if you want to read more about one of the legends of Australian golf.
Any multiple winners at Coolum?
Yes. Peter Lonard has won three times since the event was brought to Coolum. The first year it was held at Coolum was in 2002 when the championship was shared between Lonard and Jarrod Moseley.
Interestingly, Peter Senior and Robert Allenby are multiple winner’s of the event at Coolum. Senior won in 2003 and again in 2010 when he beat Geoff Ogilvy in a playoff. Allenby won in 2005 and 2009. Allenby lost a three-man playoff that included Greg Chalmers and Marcus Fraser.
Best bets
We’ve done a little scouring of the form guide and found a few best worth considering this week. We love to stick to Top-10 and Top-25 finishers when it comes to tipping and there’s a few obvious ones that stand out this week.
Kim Felton almost won the Australian Open last week with a superb final round 72 in tough conditions. He’s listed at $4 to finish in the top-25 this week at Coolum which is pretty juicy considering the form he is in.
Nick Flanagan was another to play well last week and earned a spot in the Coolum field because of it. Flanagan won early on the Web.com Tour this year but then struggled to make cuts. He looks like he’s found his swing again though and $3 for a top-25 finish could be worth a punt.
Scott Gardiner was another who almost stole the Australian Open on the final day. Gardiner could be excused for his poor opening round after flying directly back from the US where he earned his PGA Tour card for 2012. Gardiner was 10 shots behind the leader after the opening day at The Lakes but finished just four shots behind Senior. $4 for a Top-10 looks like a good bet.
Greg Chalmers is our pick to win this week.
I like John Senden to win this week.
He was close last week but got blown away in the tough conditions at the Australian Open.
With calmer conditions at Coolum his accuracy should help him get the job done and a long overdue victory.