DP World Tour Preview: BMW Australian PGA Championship

This week, the pro’s of the DP World Tour start up their season with the first tournament of the new year, the BMW Australian PGA Championship. This tournament will take place from Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia.

First hitting the greens in December 2015, the BMW Australian PGA Championship has firmly established itself as a significant fixture in the DP World Tour’s global golfing calendar.

Once held at Royal Pines Golf Club on the Gold Coast, the championship has since moved its roots to the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, where it returned in 2022 after a brief hiatus.

Royal Queensland Golf Club Course Details

A royal experience indeed, the Royal Queensland Golf Club offers a par-71 layout reaching 7,085 yards. First opened for golfing enthusiasts in 1920, this course is the brainchild of three-time Australian Open champion Carnegie Clark.

Mike Clayton partly redesigned the course in 2007 after the government decided to build a second Gateway Bridge across the Brisbane River. The intriguing architecture of the course, built on a mangrove swamp at Parker Island, beckons golfers with its mostly flat surface.

The front-nine holes tango in a clockwise pattern around the edge of the grounds, which are nestled on the northern bank of the river. The back nine slots are smartly inside the existing framework.

While the trees seldom partake in the gameplay, the course keeps golfers on the edge with abundant water and strategically placed bunkering. The unique features of the course have witnessed the lowest score at this championship reach an impressive 22-under, a record shared by Jediah Morgan (2022), Peter Leonard (2006), and Nick O’Hearn (2006). If that trend holds true again this year, we are in for a scorer’s delight!

The course’s character is enhanced by its wide fairways and lack of roughness, offering a modern parkland layout. Despite its openness, golfers need to remain wary of the array of strategically positioned bunkers, the course’s main line of defense.

Spooky Express Free Play

When you are looking for a golfer to play this week, you most likely are going to end up with a golfer that doesn’t hold very strong odds. According to the odds listed at BetOnline, the first 7 golfers all hold odds of under 16/1.  

Since we are looking for a little more value, why not look at Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at +3000 at BetOnline. Rasmus has been really impressive in the Challenge Tour, winning 3 tournaments and coming 2nd in two.  

This tournament isn’t really overwhelmed with talent so he may legitimately contend for the win this week! At 30/1, he is certainly worth the risk!

Spooky Express Pick: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +3000