Tournament: 2025 BMW Australian PGA Championship
Venue: Royal Queensland GC, Brisbane, Australia
2024 Champion: Elvis Smylie (AUS)
Prize Fund: AUD$2,500,000
Race to Dubai: Tournament 1 of 42
Opening Swing: Tournament 1 of 5
Tournament Preview
Queensland native Elvis Smylie is relishing being back where it all began as he returns to defend his BMW Australian PGA Championship title in Brisbane.
The home hero has become a familiar presence on DP World Tour leaderboards over the past 12 months, so it’s easy to forget he had made only 15 previous Tour appearances when he arrived at Royal Queensland Golf Club in 2024.
His breakthrough two-shot victory over childhood idol Cameron Smith delivered his maiden DP World Tour title, secured full membership, powered him to 23rd place in the Race to Dubai Rankings, and earned him the distinction of being the only Australian to qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Now, as he prepares to fly the flag once again in the opening event of the 2026 DP World Tour season, Smylie is embracing the chance to defend his title on home soil and build on a season that also earned him an exemption into the 2026 Open Championship.
The 23-year-old is joined by a formidable Australian contingent, including Major Champions Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith. Scott and Smith are both former champions of this event – Scott winning in 2013 and 2019, and Smith claiming titles in 2017, 2018 and 2022.
The field also features 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings runner-up Marco Penge, making his first start of the 2026 season. Penge enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign with three wins in China, Denmark and Spain, earning dual membership on the PGA TOUR for 2026.
He is joined by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who also secured PGA TOUR status for the upcoming season. The pair have dominated in recent years, winning the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings in consecutive seasons – Penge in 2023 and the Dane in 2024.
Rounding out the world-class field are 2025 PGA TOUR winners Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee, both returning to their home tour this week. Fox captured two titles – at the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open, both via play-offs – while Lee claimed his maiden PGA TOUR victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Player quotes
Elvis Smylie: “It’s really special to be back here at Royal Queensland, a lot of familiar faces and also a lot of great memories from last year. It was very special to be able to do it here in Brisbane where it’s my home and it’s nice being back.
“The past few years before last year where I’ve played off sponsor exemptions on the DP World Tour, I think it gave me a bit of an insight into what is required to compete with the best guys on the DP World Tour as well as the best guys here in Australia.
“I’ve made a lot friendships on Tour with a lot of the other Aussies, Kiwis, English guys, South African guys. It’s quite a tight-knit community out there so I’m looking forward to hanging out with those guys again.
“To be able to get off to a fast start on the season, I think it gives you a bit of confidence to know that you’re off to a fast start but also a bit of comfort knowing that you can play your way into the season a bit knowing you’ve had a solid start to the year.
“The finish that I had on the Race to Dubai last year has given me an invite into The Open which I’m really excited about, that will be my fourth Major and my third Open so I’m really excited to hopefully have really good performance at Birkdale and do as well as I can on Tour.”
Marco Penge: “It’s a place that I love, so Australia is one of my favourite countries to visit and yeah, that’s why I’m here.
“My golf wasn’t that great at this point last year, so it’s actually quite cool coming out this year. In my mind I was thinking certain shots were quite tough, but where obviously I’ve been playing really well and I feel a little more confident. I see the course slightly different but yeah, I mean the golf course itself is very grainy and the greens are small and pretty hard to hit. So yeah, it’s a real fantastic golf course and hopefully the rain stays away.
“I love playing golf, so I was in Dubai obviously a couple of weeks ago and halfway from home to here and obviously had the opportunity to come and start the season in Australia and yeah, I didn’t really have a second thought about not coming.
“I played this course last year and to visit Brisbane and really enjoyed it with my family so I wanted to come back and have that experience again and kind of kick off as fast as I can in the new season. Yes, I’m playing the PGA TOUR next year, but I would still want make sure I’m in Dubai at the end of the season with a chance to win the Race to Dubai. So hopefully I’m going to be trying to play as much as I can when I can.”
Adam Scott: “Even though it’s late in the year, some good results can really carry some momentum into next year and that’s what I really haven’t had this year.
“So big weeks for me. Obviously I want to play well in front of a home crowd but also carry a little momentum and confidence into next season and make the most of it. The last time I was playing was about a month ago and I felt quite good with my game.
“It was really solid. I just didn’t quite get the results but that’s kind of the story of the year for me. Everything feels OK, just got to do a little better.
“I really feel like I haven’t spent a lot of time in Australia the last five years or so, so I was excited coming back.
“Great to touch down a couple of days ago, have a few nice coffees and catch up with some friends and family. Always fun to come back to Royal Queensland and relive junior Pennant days and memories like that – hopefully there’s a little magic out on the course for me this week.”
Min Woo Lee: “I am feeling good. It’s great to come back to a place you won before.
“We all want to get our hands on the trophies. I just want to play really good solid golf and hopefully I can give myself a chance on Sunday to get that trophy.
“It’s nice being back in Australia, playing in front of friends and family. A good result would be great, but I also want to enjoy it — it’s the end of the year and time to relax afterwards.”
