Australian golf star Cameron Smith will add a third event to his domestic summer schedule, committing to the second Cathedral Invitational in northeast Victoria.
The addition of the 2022 British Open champion is a significant boost for the event, which is played on the exclusive Cathedral Lodge Club near Thornton, two hours northeast of Melbourne.
Businessman and former Essendon chairman David Evans, and his wife Sonia, had the Greg Norman-designed course built on their family property.
Smith will join Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Gabi Ruffels as headline names in the December 5-6 event, while inaugural winner Nick Flanagan will also return.
He will return to Australia to defend his Australian PGA Championship and also is after an elusive Australian Open crown.
The invitational will be held after the November 30-December 3 Open, which will be played at the The Australian and The Lakes clubs in Sydney.
"Having someone of Cam's ability commit to play demonstrates the growth of this tournament, alongside the return of Adam, Marc and Gabi," Evans said in a media statment.
Speaking in a promotional video for the invitational, Scott said from Europe that the invitational format was a pleasant change from the usual four-round tournament play.
"Obviously it's a very personal event for David and his family, but the membership there made it a great fun experience for all of us pros," Scott said.
"I'm certainly at a point in my career where I also want to enjoy playing the game in these sorts of formats.
"This is an opportunity for us to unwind a little bit."
The invitational is a 36-hole event with scaled tees and a $100,000 prize for the winner.
Evans dramatically resigned from his role at Essendon because of ill health in mid-2013 at the height of the AFL club's drugs debacle and left the sport.
