The 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship began on November 21 and will go on till November 24 at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane. This event, which has now been cut short to 54 holes because of 180mm rainfall on Thursday night also serves as one of the most significant golf tournaments in Australia. The championship features a mix of Australia’s top players and international stars.
Min Woo Lee returned to the field to defend his title, while players like Cameron Smith have made the event all the more thrilling. The first round has already concluded, and Elvis Smylie has taken the lead by one stroke, and three players are tied for the second position. If Smylie continues with the same momentum, he might grab the trophy this year.
How much will Elvis Smylie potentially win at the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship?
The 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship has a total purse of AUD 2 million which is around USD 1.3 million. If Elvis Smylie keeps up with the pace of his gameplay, he will be taking home the highest portion of the total prize money. He will be getting $340,000. On the other hand, players finishing in the runner-up and second runner-up positions will be entitled to AUD 220,000 and AUD126,000.
All the seventy players who make the cut after the Friday round will get some portion of the prize money. The player who finishes at the bottom of the leaderboard will get the lowest amount (AUD3,800). Here is what the final payout in Australian Dollars looks like:
1st $340,000 2nd $220,000 3rd $126,000 4th $100,000 5th $84,800 6th $70,000 7th $60,000 8th $50,000 9th $44,800 10th $40,000 11th $36,800 12th $34,400 13th $32,200 14th $30,600 15th $29,400 16th $28,200 17th $27,000 18th $25,800 19th $24,800 20th $24,000 21st $23,200 22nd $22,600 23rd $22,000 24th $21,400 25th $20.800 26th $20,200 27th $19,600 28th $19,000 29th $18,400 30th $17,800 31st $17,200 32nd $16,600 33rd $16,000 34th $15,400 35th $14,800 36th $14,200 37th $13,800 38th $13,400 39th $13,000 40th $12,600 41st $12,200 42nd $11,800 43rd $11,400 44th $11,000 45th $10,600 46th $10,200 47th $9,800 48th $9,400 49th $9,000 50th $8,600 51st $8,200 52nd $7,800 53rd $7,400 54th $7,000 55th $6,800 56th $6,600 57th $6,400 58th $6,200 59th $6,000 60th $5.800 61st $5,600 62nd $5,400 63rd $5,200 64th $5,000 65th $4,800 66th $4,600 67th $4,400 68th $4,200 69th $4,000 70th $3,800
The winner will also get approximately 13.1 OWGR points, and 2000 Race to Dubai points are on the line too. While the field is filled with star-studded players, Jason Day is one of the highest-ranked players. And well, while he needs to maintain his rank, the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship is a rather special event for him nonetheless.
Jason Day returns to Australia after seven years
Jason Day teed off with Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee during the opening round from the back nine. He is currently tied at T6 with five other players and is just two strokes behind Elvis Smylie. He is all set to make his home fans proud since this is the first time he has been playing on Australian soil since the 2017 Australian Open. This year also marks Jason Day’s return to the Australian PGA Championship after a 12-year hiatus since his T9 finish at Coolum in 2011. Now 37, Day has been reacquainting himself with the significantly updated Royal Queensland Golf Club layout.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Day (@jasondayofficial)
As the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 31 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Day recognizes he might not be the crowd favorite in Queensland. He humbly acknowledged the local hero, saying, “Cammy [Smith] is a very big favorite here and has a lot of fans,” referring to three-time Australian PGA Championship winner Cameron Smith. He also added that although he is from Australia he does not play much there and hence it is difficult to get fans attention. But he is willing to fight through it.
Do you think Day will be able to lift the trophy on his home ground when the 54-hole play comes to an end on Sunday? Let us know in the comments section below!