Coast detour before Europe
DIMI Papadatos will compete in Australia’s richest pro-am on the Gold Coast before heading to Europe to join the Challenge Tour season.
Papadatos, 27, is one of a host of Australian players who will today contest the Gold Coast Celebrity Pro-Am at Lakelands Golf Club.
“(It) will be a great way for me to gauge where my game is at before I head over to Europe for the Challenge Tour season but the events put on by Wayne Grady are always fun so I am looking forward to a good few days,” he said.
Papadatos, who turned professional in 2012, won the Portugal Open on the Challenge Tour last year.
The GC Celebrity Pro-Am is a 36-hole, two-day event that carries a prize purse of $150,000.
Hosted by PGA life member Wayne Grady, the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series event has attracted some of Australia’s best players.
They include New Zealand Open champion Zach Murray, Peter Senior, Marcus Fraser and Daniel Nisbet.
Murray, 22, is among the youngest in the field but he has two PGA Tour of Australasia wins on his resume and has a full card on the Asian tour for 2019.
Matthew Miller will also tee up following a 2018 campaign that included featuring at the World Golf Championship in Mexico and being crowned PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year.
“I am really looking forward to … supporting Wayne Grady in raising funds for a very worthy charity,” he said.
The professionals will play alongside sports and media identities including Casey Stoner, Ian Healy, Allan Border and Leila McKinnon.
At the heart of the GC Celebrity Classic is the Ashton’s Place foundation.
Money raised helps the charity which supports local families by providing muchneeded funds for early intervention services for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Entry is free for members of the public who want to see the stars and celebrities in action today and tomorrow.