Every Australian club golfer who wants to play the magnificent Royal Melbourne golf course or drive a luxury Lexus IS 250 X Special Edition sedan will get a chance to do so this year, following last month’s launch of the Lexus Cup powered by Golf Link.
The innovative competition, which saw more than 35,000 Australian club golfers tee up in its inaugural season last year, has proved so popular there will be two rounds of qualifying in 2013, two luxury Lexus sedans to give away and twice the finalists to Royal Melbourne.
Lexus, one of Australia’s most prestigious vehicle brands, has signed on as sponsor of the event for another two years after the success of 2012 and co-sponsors Callaway Golf, Go Golfing golf tours, Australian Golf Digest and the Golf Link Wine Club will be joined this year by new partner and Official Timekeeper TAG Heuer to add even more incentive for competitors in 2013.
“The addition of an iconic luxury brand like TAG Heuer to the prestigious Lexus brand and our array of quality co-sponsors demonstrate the commercial value that Golf Link and the enthusiastic club golfer represents,” said Golf Link CEO Craig Connelly. “Add to this the fact that the 2012 Lexus Cup generated an increase in rounds played by registered golfers of almost 10% during the 3 month period the Lexus Cup ran for, and the benefit of this innovative golf competition to the wider golf industry is obvious.”
The Lexus Cup powered by Golf Link is free to enter. Club golfers simply register their name and play a minimum of six rounds during one, or both, of the 13-week qualifying periods.
In addition to playing for thousands of dollars worth of weekly and monthly prizes at club, state and national levels, by simply playing the minimum number of rounds to qualify – whether you score 40 points or 14 – participants are entered into the draw to win an all new Lexus luxury car in each Series.
A national online leaderboard is updated daily, so competitors can follow their progress in the competition which sees two winners from each grade in each Series flown to Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the 16-person National Final, including a day in the Lexus Marquee at the Melbourne Cup.
The more than 35,000 golfers who teed up in the 2012 Lexus Cup played a remarkable 433,884 rounds between them, an increase of almost 10 per cent over the number of rounds played by the same group in 2011.
The 8 lucky players who made it to the final last year all sang the praises of what was a once in a lifetime experience for most – and there’ll be 16 in 2013.
Bill Basan from Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club and manager at Cabramatta GC taking out the inaugural Lexus Golf Link Cup said “The rules official gave me the tip before the round – If you miss the green, miss it short and if you putt up you won’t get in any trouble – and it worked. What a great moment in my life.”
“All the competitors would agree we gained a lot from the day,” said 2012 B Grade winner Anthony Quattrone. “I had a fantastic experience in the Lexus marquee and the hotel was fantastic… My wife appreciated everything!”
Ladies runner-up Libby Stewart concurred. “As a lucky finalist I had the time of my life experiencing Royal Melbourne, various social functions and a sensational Melbourne Cup day,” she said. “The organisation was superb and I extend a big thank you to all involved.”
But those who made it to the final weren’t the only winners.
Derek Taylor from Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club in the ACT was ranked 12,409 on the national leaderboard after he played his eighth round of the 2012 event but he was still perhaps the biggest winner of all. Taylor hit the jackpot when his name was drawn as the winner of an all new Lexus GS 250 Luxury sedan worth more than $80,000. “I think I’ll be the envy of the golf club car park. In fact, I think I’ll just stand by the car for the first few rounds just to rub it in! The first trip I’ll make is with three other mates on a golfing holiday to the Murray region. The ride down will be very comfortable in the Lexus.”
This year there will be two lucky contestants driving away in brand new vehicles with each of the 15 week qualifiers giving away a Lexus IS 250 sedan valued at up to $65,000.
Registration for the 2013 Lexus Cup powered by Golf Link is open now at: www.lexuscup.com.au
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