K260,000 Morobe Open tees off today

THE Lae Golf Club hosts the opening event of the 2017 PGA Pro-Am Series Sunshine Swing, as 49 professionals compete at the the A$110,000 (K261,581) Morobe Open.
The Morobe Open tees off today with professionals and amateurs from all over Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, vying for the coveted Morobe Open title.
Damien Jordan, pictured, returns as the defending champion and will no doubt want to emulate the feats of Eddie Barr 2004-2005 and Heath Reed 2010-2011 as the only previous winners to successfully defend their titles.
“The win in Lae last year really set the tone for the remainder of the year and was definitely the catalyst for me to go on and claim the PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit title,” Jordan said.
“I am looking forward to what will be another great week and hopefully I can replicate my play from last year and join some elite company as back-to-back winners.”
The field is once again stacked with past winners, with Brad Burns (2007), Michael Wright (2009) and Josh Younger (2012) all looking to claim a second Morobe Open championship, while Tim Hart, Brett Rankin and Peter Wilson will all be looking to etch their names in the tournament’s history.
With the Morobe Open offering the locals an up close and personal experience with the international golfers, the tournament is seen as a great promotion for the game. Golf will be atop of all sporting headlines in PNG over the next week which will hopefully inspire the next generation of golfing stars.
The opening round of the  Morobe Open tees off this morning 7am.
The Sunshine Swing forms part of the PGA Pro-Am Series which comprises 200 events Australia wide.
Played across more than 170 golf courses around Australia, the PGA Pro-Am Series plays an important part in the development of Australia’s Professional Golfers while also growing the game at a grassroots level by engaging an estimated 48,000 amateurs each year.