VIC OPEN SIGNINGS
‘I think the Vic Open, where the girls play and the boys play together, is a good concept’ PETER LONARD
DECORATED Australian golfers Peter Lonard and Robert Allenby have committed to next month’s Oates Vic Open at Thirteenth Beach in a major tournament boost.
Lonard, 50, will compete in his first Vic Open since 2015 when it kicks off from February 1, while Allenby, 46, returns for the second straight year.
The experienced duo will join the likes of previous winners Dimitiros Papadatos (2017), Michael Long (2016), Richard Green (2015) and Matthew Griffin (2014).
Lonard, a nine-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner, said he was looking forward to competing.
“I think the Vic Open, where the girls play and the boys play together, is a good concept, it makes sense,” he said.
“I think the actual concept of putting everyone together and perhaps appealing to a wider range of people is a great idea.
“It’s really interesting to see the way the girls practise, the way they approach the game.”
The Sydney-based veteran said he expected Thirteenth Beach to favour his game as he chases his maiden Vic Open.
“Through my career I suppose my better golf has been played on firmer, bouncier courses with wind, it just suits the way I like to flight the ball,” Lonard said
“I think Thirteenth Beach sets up really well and it’s a really good test of golf, particularly when the wind blows.”
Meanwhile, Allenby — who has 13 wins on the PGA Tour of Australasia — returns after rounds of 70-70-71 across the Beach and Creek courses this time last year.
It was Allenby’s first appearance at the Vic Open since 1999, but the Victorian remains the only male amateur winner in the tournament’s history after his 1991 triumph at Woodlands Golf Club as a 20-year-old.