Emerging star Elvis Smylie has locked in the defence of his Australian PGA Championship crown in Brisbane.
This year's championship, co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour, will again be hosted by Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 27-30.
The 23-year-old from the Gold Coast provided one of the major highlights of last season's summer of golf when he held off three-time champion Cameron Smith to win the Joe Kirkwood Cup for the first time.
Victory propelled Smylie onto the world stage by earning him status as a fulltime member of the DP World Tour and he went on to claim the 2024-25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit title.
"Winning the Joe Kirkwood Cup for the first time was a huge honour and definitely the highlight of my career so far," Smylie said on Tuesday.
"I have some great memories of that final Sunday. It meant so much to win at home in front of my family and friends in one of Australia's most important championships.
"Although there's still a lot of this year to play out, I can't wait to get back to RQ and try to do it all again."
Smylie's rise has continued this year, with the Queenslander making the cut on debut at the PGA Championship, his first American major.
He will also contest this month's British Open at Royal Portrush.
Smith, meanwhile, has announced that his LIV Golf Ripper GC team have forged a new partnership with Golf Australia's MyGolf Junior Participation program.
The program has hit new heights in the past 12 months, with a record-breaking number of children involved in the sport.
"Ripper GC's Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones are passionate about creating opportunities for boys and girls to play and love golf," said GA boss James Sutherland.
"We are grateful for their commitment to inspire the next generation of golfers through MyGolf."
