The NSW PGA Championship is set to provide rising stars on the PGA Tour of Australasia with plenty of opportunities.

Riverside Oaks Golf Resort will host the NSW PGA
Championship from the 4-7 December and will see a field that is stacked with
rising stars of Australian golf.

In the field this week are a number of players looking for
their break through victory on the PGA Tour of Australasia, including Geoff
Drakeford who is making just his second Professional start.

Others to watch include Victorian Anthony Houston who has
had two top-10 finishes in his last four starts and a T11 at the Australian
Masers, Daniel Valente who has had three top-10 finishes this year and Tom Bond
who finished runner-up at the QLD Open in August.

The 2014 season has already seen a number of players record
breakthrough victories in State Based Championships, including Anthony Summers
(Queensland PGA Championship), Adam Stephens (South Pacific Open Championship),
Ryan Fox (WA Open Championship, Ryan Lynch (WA PGA Championship) and Anthony
Brown (NSW Open Championship).

The benefits of winning a State Based Championship are many
and far reaching, in addition to the first place prize money, champions receive
Official World Golf Rankings points and become exempt onto the PGA Tour of
Australasia for the reminder of the season, plus a further two years.

South Australian Nick Cullen demonstrated how a win can
provide many opportunities.

Cullen’s win at the Queensland Open in 2013  secured him status on the PGA Tour of
Australasia this year and ensured him a start at the Australian Masters, which
he went on to win.

This victory secured Cullen  a place in the World Golf Championship –
Bridgestone Invitational in August 2015.

"While they may not have the same prestige of our big six
tournaments the State Based Championships are the life blood of the PGA Tour of
Australasia," said Simon Butterly, General Manager, Tournaments Division, PGA
of Australia.

"They provide important playing experience for the young
players on Tour to hone their skills. What they learn playing in Australia
provides them with a solid grounding to work from when they move on to
international Tours."

Further, State Based Championships provide exemptions to
elite amateurs which helps create a smooth transition to the Tour when they
decide to join the pay for play ranks.

This week Jarryd Felton, Jordan Zunic, Troy Moses and Travis
Smyth will all be competing alongside the PGA Professionals.

"In recent times we have seen elite amateurs contending in
our tournaments at the highest level, much of this can be contributed to the
excellent high performance program delivered by Golf Australia," added
Butterly.

"But by providing elite amateurs starts in our tournaments it
helps them learn what to expect on Tour, settle their nerves on a range full of
stars and builds their confidence in preparation for their Rookie Professional
year."

With so much on the line this week at the NSW PGA
Championship make sure  you follow all
the action at pga.org.au