RACV Royal Pines has a long association with women’s professional golf.

The RACV Gold Coast Challenge will be staged from February 2-4, two months after holding the successful Australian PGA Championship over the Pines’ revamped championship layout.

The event will be played in a pro-am format over the opening two days with one professional and one amateur pairing in a 4-Ball Team contest. 

This will be played in conjunction with the individual professional contest. The leading 50 professionals and ties will graduate to the final day on Saturday, February 4.

Tournament officials are already delighted with the response they have had from many of Australia’s leading professionals with the winner of the 2016 RACV Ladies Masters, former world number one and former winner of the Women’s Australian Open, Jiyai Shin, already committing to the event.

Joining Kemp will be four-time major championship winner, 20 time LPGA Tour winner, two-time Women’s Australian Open winner and three time winner of the RACV Ladies Masters, Laura Davies, along with fellow Australian LPGA Tour players, Katherine Kirk and Sarah Jane Smith and Ladies European Tour winner, Rebecca Artis, amongst other well-credentialed players.

ALPG CEO, Karen Lunn, expressed her delight in response to the event.

“We are really excited that we have managed to secure players of the calibre of Jiyai Shin and Laura Davies to the 2017 RACV Gold Coast Challenge,”  she said.

“Apart from being great characters both of these ladies have reached the pinnacle in women’s golf, having been the number one ranked player in the world.

“We have also been overwhelmed by the level of support from our members, including Sarah Jane Smith coming off her best ever LPGA season, Katherine Kirk, Sarah Kemp, Stacey Keating, Rebecca Artis and Whitney Hillier all putting their hands up to play without any hesitation.”