The dramatic finale and high-calibre field have helped October’s Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open grab the attention of golf fans nationwide.
Elvis Smylie won the 100th staging of the historic championship in a playoff amidst gale-force winds and lashing rain at Mandurah Country Club last month.
And even if the inclement conditions kept all but the most-hardy spectators at bay on the final day, the gripping drama proved a hit with fans at home, with weekend TV viewership figures up 47% on the 2023 championship – and also significantly higher than in 2022.
With a stronger-than-usual field containing the likes of DP World Tour players Jason Scrivener and Haydn Barron, as well as former champion Curtis Luck and local legend Jarrod Moseley, fans flocked to the event, with the estimated attendance up by over 20% on 2023 – despite Sunday’s deluge.
National media coverage of the WA Open was also significant, with 589 media mentions of the event between October 16-22 – a potential audience reach of almost 19,500,000.
In collaboration with Visit Mandurah, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australia and Mandurah Country Club, the WA Open received extensive coverage on social media, before, during and after the event.
Posts and stories across GolfWA’s social channels alone had a reach in excess of 530,000, generating 44,000 engagements and more than 7,500 link clicks to WA Open content.
Gary Thomas, Chief Executive of GolfWA, said the figures showed that events such as the WA Open retain an important place in the golfing calendar, for fans and players alike.
” A lot of hard work went on to ensure the 100th WA Open was a great celebration of the event’s history, and we’re grateful to golf fans for turning out in force to support the players,” he said.
“In terms of excitement, the final day had it all. The last group produced some sensational golf in some unbelievably tough conditions. Elvis was a very deserving champion and you only had to see his reaction to winning to know how special it was.
“And of course, he has gone from strength to strength, as demonstrated by his win at the weekend’s Australian PGA Championship.”
