European Tour professionals will join the continent’s top women at 13th Beach Golf Links in 2019 with the European Tour locked in to co-sanction the Vic Open from February 7-10.

That means Australian golf fans will be able to enjoy back-to-back European Tour events on home soil for the first time in 15 years.

The cream of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia will battle it out against the European Tour’s top talents in Barwon Heads, before both tours head west for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth the following week.

Meanwhile, the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the ALPG will deliver the strongest women’s Vic Open field ever with the co-sanctioning agreement to enter into its third year.

With the ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian Open also underway at The Grange GC in Adelaide the following week, the Vic Open will again kickstart a bumper month of golf in Australia for the game’s best women.

“The co-sanctioning of both the men’s and women’s Vic Open events with the European Tour and Ladies European Tour further cements Victoria’s reputation as an international golf hub,” said Victoria’s Minister for Sport, John Eren.

“It ensures the tournament remains an important pathway for our local up and coming champions while at the same time raising its status on the world stage and bringing the best of the best to our own backyard.”

“Welcoming the European Tour to 13th Beach is the latest step in building the Vic Open into one of Australia’s biggest sporting events.” said Golf Victoria – CEO, Simon Brookhouse.

“Golf Victoria is proud of the massive growth of the Vic Open and we’re thrilled to be able to provide Europe’s top players with another opportunity to play in Australia and to give Victorian golf fans the chance to witness world-class golf. We’d like to thank the State Government for their continued support of our tournament and we can’t wait to host the biggest Vic Open ever.”

PGA of Australia – CEO, Gavin Kirkman echoed the sentiments.

“We are delighted to co-sanction a third Australian tournament in the 2019 season with the European Tour,” Kirkman said.

“The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia is the pathway of champions and it is our goal to provide our players with opportunities to expand their careers internationally.”

“Co-sanctioning tournaments on our schedule with the European Tour is integral to our player pathway and we hope that an ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia member makes the most of the opportunity on offer at the Vic Open in 2019.”

“We would also like to commend Golf Victoria on their vision to grow the Vic Open to a co-sanctioning level and we look forward to working with them, the European Tour, ALPG and LET to produce a top quality week of golf for Australian sports fans.”

The last time the European Tour went back-to-back on Australian soil was the 2004 Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne and the following week’s ANZ Championship in New South Wales.

Interestingly, Dame Laura Davies teed it up as one of five major champions in the ANZ Championship field, marking the first time a female competed in either a European Tour or ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia event.

Fifteen years on Davies has been one of the strongest supporters of the joint Vic Open, having teed it up in every edition of the combined men’s and women’s event since it moved to 13th Beach in 2013.

And there will be more than just a slice of the biggest Vic Open prize pool ever on offer in Barwon Heads.

The men’s champion will earn an exemption on the European Tour until the end of the 2020 season and playing rights on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia through 2021.

Valuable Race To Dubai points will also be up for grabs in 2019, as the European Tour makes its second stop in Australia for the season after December’s Australian PGA Championship.

And there’s a good chance the trip to 13th Beach will be an historic one, considering a European player has not won the men’s Vic Open since its inception in 1957.

“We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with golf in Australia for many years and this new partnership with the Vic Open is yet another illustration of that,” said Ben Cowen, European Tour’s Director of International Policy.

“As well as giving a wonderful playing opportunity for our members, being associated with the Vic Open also fits perfectly with our desire to lead the transformation of global golf through innovation.

“We thank everyone at the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, the Victorian State Government and Golf Victoria for their help in making this a reality, and we look forward very much to our visit to The Garden State next February.”

Head to www.vicopengolf.com for more information.

About Richard Fellner

A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others. Follow Richard Fellner on Quora

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