Amateurs in Australia to play for prize money in 2022
Starting this season, the Australian Amateur and Australian Junior Amateur will have players competing for prize money.
The prize money has been set at A$ 1350 (Rs 70,000 approx) for both male and female champions. The runners-up will receive A$1000, ( Rs 53,000 approx) and third-place finishers A$750 (Rs 40,000 approx). For the Australian Amateur, positions down to eighth place will receive prize money, while for the Australian Junior, prize money will be paid to those in the top five.
Related story – Amateur sponsorship rules changed
The winners will continue to earn exemptions into the men’s and women’s Australian Opens, respectively.
This move comes in the wake of changes to the Rules of Amateur Status that were announced recently by golf’s governing bodies – The R&A & the USGA. The new rules do away with advertising, expense-related and sponsorship restrictions on amateur players, so they can now wear sponsorship logos and accept expense reimbursements, as well as prize money up to US$1,000, or Rs 75,000 in amateur tournaments.
This is a welcome change for amateurs, who had no chance of recuperating their expenses to play tournaments until they turned professional. The money will also add another layer of pressure on the amateurs and give them a taste of what it’s like in the pros.
So far Australia is the only country to announce prize money for amateur competitions, but other countries are likely to follow suit in the near future
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Photo – LET Flickr