Australian PGA Championship Winners and History

Australian PGA Championship Winners and History

First played in 1897, the Australian PGA Championship is one of the oldest in golf.

Beginning with the 2016 season (which actually starts in the fall of 2015), the Australian PGA Championship is part of The European Tour international schedule.

Sixty European Tour players receive spots in the tournaments, including thirty from the Sunshine Tour. The PGA Tour of Australasia will receive 72 spots the tournament. In addition, there will be eight tournament invitations, six qualifying positions and three positions for PGA Vocational Members.

The winner of Australian PGA Championship will be granted exemption into the European Tour’s flagship event, the 2016 BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth Club.

The Australian PGA champion has been awarded at least 20 Official World Golf Ranking points since 2009. The presence of top-ranked players in the field, however, increased the points to 34 in 2011, 32 in 2007 and 26 in 2008 and 2009.

The Australian PGA Championship is the 28th European Tour sanctioned event to be held on Australian soil. The others have been the the ANZ Championship (2002-2004), the Australian Masters (2007-2009 – played twice in the 2009 season), the Heineken Classic (1996-2005), the Greg Norman Holden International (2000-2001), the Johnnie Walker Classic (1997, 2002-2003, 2006, 2009) and the Perth International (2012-2014).

The tournament’s trophy is named for Australian professional golfer Joe Kirkwood, Sr. (1897 – 1970). Kirkwood’s victories in the Australian Open and New Zealand Open in 1920 propelled him to a professional career. Kirkwood began playing on the professional tour in the United States in 1923. He won the Houston Open that year. In 1924, he had five Tour victories. In all, Kirkwood logged 17 professional wins. His best finish in a major was third in the 1930 PGA Championship (the event was a match play in those days). Kirkwood also finished fourth in the British Open three times. When his playing career ened, Kirkwood moved to Vermont to become the teaching pro at the Stowe Country Club.

A complete list of Australian PGA Championship Winners follows:

YearChampionCountryScoreCourse
2022 (Nov)Cameron SmithAustralia270 (-14)Royal Queensland
2022 (Jan)Jediah MorganAustralia262 (-22)Royal Queensland
2021COVID
2020COVID
2019Adam ScottAustralia275 (-13)Royal Pines
2018Cameron Smith (2)Australia272 (16)Royal Pines
2017Cameron SmithAustralia270Royal Pines
2016Harold Varner IIIUnited States269Royal Pines
2015Nathan HolmanAustralia288RACV Royal Pines Resort
2014Greg Chalmers (2) Australia270RACV Royal Pines Resort
2013Adam Scott Australia270RACV Royal Pines Resort
2012Daniel Popovic Australia272Palmer Coolum
2011Greg Chalmers Australia272Hyatt Coolum
2010Peter Senior (3) Australia276Hyatt Coolum
2009Robert Allenby (4) Australia270Hyatt Coolum
2008Geoff Ogilvy Australia274Hyatt Coolum
2007Peter Lonard (2) Australia268Hyatt Coolum
2006Nick O’Hern Australia266Hyatt Coolum
2005Robert Allenby (3) Australia270Hyatt Coolum
2004Peter Lonard (2) Australia270Hyatt Coolum
2003Peter Senior (2) Australia271Hyatt Coolum
2002Jarrod Moseley Australia271Hyatt Coolum
Peter Lonard (tied) Australia
2001Robert Allenby (2) Australia273Royal Queensland
2000Robert Allenby Australia275Royal Queensland
1999Greg Turner New Zealand278Victoria GC
1998David Howell England275New South Wales GC
1997Andrew Coltart (2) Scotland285New South Wales GC
1996Phil Tataurangi New Zealand279New South Wales GC
1995No tournament
1994Andrew Coltart Scotland281New South Wales GC
1993Ian Baker-Finch Australia274Concord GC
1992Craig Parry Australia269Concord GC
1991Wayne Grady (2) Australia271Concord GC
1990Brett Ogle Australia273Riverside Oaks GC
1989Peter Senior Australia274Riverside Oaks GC
1988Wayne Grady Australia275Riverside Oaks GC
1987Roger Mackay Australia284The Lakes
1986Mike Harwood Australia275Castle Hill CC
1985Greg Norman (2) Australia273Castle Hill CC
1984Greg Norman Australia277Monash CC
1983Bob Shearer Australia288Royal Melbourne
1982Graham Marsh Australia282Royal Melbourne
1981Seve Ballesteros Spain282Royal Melbourne
1980Sam Torrance Scotland282Royal Melbourne
1979Stewart Ginn Australia284Royal Melbourne
1978Hale Irwin United States278Royal Melbourne
1977Mike Cahill Australia278Yarra Yarra
1976Bill Dunk (5) Australia281Rosebud GC
1975Vic Bennetts Australia287Burleigh Heads GC
1974Bill Dunk (4) Australia279Liverpool GC
1973Randall Vines (2) Australia2 & 1Bonnie Doon GC
1972Randall Vines Australia290The Lakes
1971Bill Dunk (3) Australia273Surfers Paradise GC
1970Bruce Devlin (2) Australia275Surfers Paradise GC
1969Bruce Devlin Australia277Royal Canberra
1968Kel Nagle (6) Australia276Metropolitan GC
1967Peter Thomson Australia282Metropolitan GC
1966Bill Dunk (2) Australia279Royal Sydney
1965Kel Nagle (5) Australia276Riversdale GC
1964Colin Johnston (2) Australia275Monash CC
1963Colin Johnston Australia3 & 2Oatlands GC
1962Bill Dunk Australia8 & 7Rossdale GC
1961Alan Murray Australia2 & 1Rossdale GC
1960John Sullivan Australia2 & 1Royal Fremantle
1959Kel Nagle (4) Australia5 & 3New South Wales GC
1958Kel Nagle (3) Australia6 & 5Kooyonga GC
1957Gary Player South Africa2 upHuntingdale GC
1956Les Wilson Australia4 & 2St Michael’s GC
1955Ossie Pickworth (3) Australia8 & 7Indooroopilly GC
1954Kel Nagle (2) Australia1 upRoyal Sydney
1953Ossie Pickworth (2) Australia1 upRoyal Melbourne
1952William C Holder Australia2 & 1Rosville GC
1951Norman Von Nida (4) Australia6 & 5Metropolitan GC
1950Norman Von Nida (3) Australia6 & 5The Lakes
1949Kel Nagle Australia7 & 5Royal Perth
1948Norman Von Nida (2) Australia2 & 1Royal Hobart
1947Ossie Pickworth Australia2 & 1Royal Melbourne
1946Norman Von Nida Australia1 upManly GC
1940–45No tournament due to World War II
1939Ted Naismith Australia7 & 5Royal Melbourne
1938Eric Cremin (2) Australia2 & 1Royal Adelaide
1937Eric Cremin Australia4 & 2The Australian GC
1936William Clifford Australia4 & 2Oakleigh GC
1935Sam Richardson (2) Australia2 & 1Royal Adelaide
1934Lou Kelly Australia2 & 1Royal Sydney
1933Sam Richardson Australia9 & 7Royal Melbourne
1932Fergus McMahon Scotland7 & 6Royal Adelaide
1931John Donald Spence Australia2 & 1The Australian GC
1930Jock Robertson Australia2 & 1Metropolitan GC
1929Rufus Stewart Scotland8 & 7Royal Adelaide
1928Harry SinclairAustralia1 upRoyal Sidney
1927Harry SinclairAustralia4&3Royal Melbourne
1926Frank Eyre Australia6 & 5Royal Adelade
1925Tom Howard (2) Australia3 & 1The Australian GC
1924Tom Howard Australia3 & 2Royal Melbourne
1923Fred Popplewell Australia2 & 1Royal Adelaide
1922Charlie Campbell (2) Australia1 upRoyal Sydney
1921Billy Iles Australia2 upRoyal Melbourne
1920Walter ClarkAustralia 2 and 1The Australian
1914-1919No tournament due to World War I
1913Carnegie Clark (3) AustraliaOakleigh GC
1912Dan SoutarAustralia145Royal Melbourne
1911Charlie Campbell Australia154Royal Sydney
1910Dan Soutar (4) Scotland153Glenelg GC
1909Fred Popplewell, Willie Thompson Scotland163Oakleigh GC
1908Carnegie Clark Scotland4 & 3The Australian GC
1907Dan Soutar (3) Scotland4 & 3Royal Melbourne
1906Dan Soutar (2) Scotland5 & 3Royal Sydney
1905Dan Soutar Scotland4 & 3Royal Melbourne
1904Carnegie Clark Australia5&4

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