The new year heralds a new tournament to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia schedules with the inaugural Webex Players Series Perth at Royal Fremantle Golf Club.
Hosted by Australia’s most accomplished golfing siblings and proud West Australians Minjee and Min Woo Lee, Webex Players Series Perth is the third event of the season in the west and the best showcase of women’s professional golf in Perth since the Handa Australia Cup in 2011.
Players in the field this week include DP World Tour players Jason Scrivener and Haydn Barron, LPGA Tour-bound Queenslander Cassie Porter, two-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season Jack Buchanan and local West Australian stars Kirsten Rudgeley, Jarryd Felton and Hayden Hopewell.
Headlining the women’s field is LPGA Tour-bound Cassie Porter, established Ladies European Tour player Kirsten Rudgeley, recent LPGA Tour players Robyn Choi and Su Oh and Vic Open winner and Paris Olympian Ashley Lau.
A member of Royal Fremantle from a very young age, Minjee believes the layout provides the opportunity for one of the women in the field to join Hannah Green, Sarah Jane Smith and Min A Yoon in beating the boys in a Webex Players Series event.
“It’s always fun beating the boys,” said Minjee.
“Obviously they’ve gone really low and played really well to win. You still have to hit the shots and hole the putts.
“I heard that maybe a couple of the holes have gotten shorter than how I usually play it, off the back tees.
“It will be nice to see where they’ve set the tees, where they’re hitting from and what kind of approaches they have in.”
The men’s field is stacked, too, with the winners of five events this season along with local favourites Jason Scrivener, Haydn Barron, Jarryd Felton, Brett Rumford, Hayden Hopewell and Connor McKinney.
With his season to begin next week in Dubai, Min Woo won’t be teeing it up at Royal Fremantle but is getting a kick out of seeing a tournament set-up at the course he has called home from a young age.
“There’s a lot of different scenery,” said Min Woo.
“There’s a grandstand and flags up, so it’s got a little special feeling to it.
“It’ll be very exciting for the players to come out here and enjoy our home course.”
The Webex Players Series is a playing opportunity for women and men professionals and elite amateurs, competing in the same field for the same prize purse in mixed pairings.
For the final two rounds, they are joined by competitors in the Webex All Abilities Players Series and Webex Junior Players Series.
Entry is free to spectators all four days with the final two rounds to be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
