Among the latest starters are Denmark’s Rasmus Neergard-Petersen, Korea’s Jungwhan Lee, Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa, English trio Alex Fitzpatrick, Eddie Pepperell and Andrew “Beef” Johnston, Italy’s Renato Paratore, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and China’s Wenyi Ding.
They join England’s world No.29 Marco Penge as part of the group of 60 DP World Tour members in the field for the November 27-30 tournament co-sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Neergard-Petersen, one of Europe’s most promising young players, finished second behind Australia’s Karl Vilips in this year’s Puerto Rico Open on the PGA TOUR and was runner-up in the Qatar Masters.
Jungwhan Lee was victorious in the Genesis Championship, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Korean Tour, in October, while Katsuragawa is a three-time Japan Golf Tour winner and a member of Japan’s 2023 World Cup team.
England’s Alex Fitzpatrick, younger brother of major champion Matt, has carved out his own successful path with several strong results on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, including a tie for third in this year’s DP World India Championship.
His compatriot Andrew Johnston, better known to fans as “Beef”, will make a popular return to Australian shores in his comeback to professional golf after spending the past year living in Perth.
Italy’s Renato Paratore, a two-time DP World Tour winner, a three-time champion on the HotelPlanner Tour this year, will also feature at Royal Queensland, as will six-time Tour champion Bernd Wiesberger and former Ryder Cup star and four-time Tour winner Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
Well known to Australian fans, Pepperell regained his DP World Tour card with a sensational finish at this week’s Qualifying School in Spain and Aphibarnrat returns to the country where he claimed the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 title in 2018.
Wenyi Ding, the Chinese prodigy who made history as the first player from China to win the US Junior Amateur, was beaten in a playoff by Australia’s Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne. He would go one better a year later in Japan.
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said the growing list of international stars underscores the global appeal of the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
“We’re thrilled to welcome such a diverse and talented group of DP World Tour players to Royal Queensland,” said Kirkman.
“It’s fantastic to see emerging stars from across Europe and Asia joining established names who’ve won at the highest level.
“Fans can look forward to world-class golf and plenty of personality — from the energy of Andrew Johnston and Eddie Pepperell to the exciting potential of players like Wenyi Ding and Rasmus Neergard-Petersen. The field continues to build into something very special.”
The BMW Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Tickets are available at www.ticketek.com.au
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