Regional NSW has scored a hole in one with a bumper program of men’s and women’s golf events to be held from 2024 to 2026, thanks to a partnership between Golf NSW and the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the events, which include the Australian Women’s Classic and the Men’s and Women’s NSW Open Championships and regional qualifying events, would be a huge boost for regional NSW. “This is a chance to showcase some of Australia’s leading golfers at some of the best courses across regional NSW,” Mr Toole said. “These events will inject more money into our regional hotels, restaurants and small businesses and put more regional courses on the ‘must visit’ list of passionate golfers.” Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said NSW has more than 166,000 registered golfers and upwards of 370 courses, making it the perfect place to host major golf tournaments. “Golf is seeing a huge surge in popularity at the moment, with people of all ages hitting the course for a round at their local club,” Mr Henskens said. “NSW is Australia’s premier sporting state and securing these tournaments is another example of how the Liberal and Nationals Government is working to attract the best sporting events to NSW.” Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin said this series of golf events highlights the commitment to building and securing a diverse events program across NSW to support the State’s economy. “The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government is proud to drive a strong return for the thousands of businesses across the State by supporting local events which attract participants, officials and spectators to our regions,” Mr Franklin 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 $13.5 million into the regional NSW economy.” Golf NSW CEO Stuart Fraser thanked the Liberal and Nationals 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 (x 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)