Minjee Lee is seeking a second Greg Norman Medal in three years while Queensland pair Adam Scott and Cameron Smith are in the hunt for a first following the full announcement of nominees for the PGA of Australia’s major awards for 2020.
Since the inception of the Greg Norman Medal in 2015 the winner has been crowned during the week of the Australian PGA Championship yet because of the disruption to the summer schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the ceremony will be a virtual one broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo on Wednesday night at 7pm AEDT, as well as Sky NZ at 7pm NZDT.
“Just like our PGA professionals across Australia we have had to adapt this year to the different circumstances that have been thrust upon us,” said PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman.
“While we would have liked to have brought everyone together it is important we still recognise the outstanding performances of our professionals at every level of the game.
“Our touring professionals have done us proud around the world but I want to make special mention of those PGA professionals at the coalface here in Australia.
“Golf has seen an explosion in interest since the start of the pandemic and our PGA professionals have had to cater to greater numbers of players while doing so in a COVID-safe manner.
“I also want to highlight the work done by those PGA professionals in the area of game development. We have had many new people come into the game this past year and the six nominees have worked hard to make these newcomers feel comfortable and have fun playing golf.
“The Greg Norman Medal recognises our highest achievers but I want to pay tribute to all of our PGA professionals for the way they have conducted themselves this past year and put the game of golf in a strong position through such difficult times.”
Despite the disruption caused to professional golf throughout the world Australians achieved great success on all of the major tours.
From Wade Ormsby’s win at the Hong Kong Open followed by twin wins on the European Tour and PGA Tour by Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman on Australia Day; Min Woo Lee’s breakthrough victory at the Vic Open and Smith and Scott logging early victories prior to the PGA Tour shutdown; and Stephanie Kyriacou’s Rookie of the Year performance on the Ladies European Tour and Minjee Lee registering two top-10s in majors and a win at the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic.
Time was cut short but our best made the most of it.
The Greg Norman Medal will again be the final award presented after PGA high achievers in a number of categories receive their due recognition.
In a year in which they faced challenges they could never have anticipated at the start of 2020, PGA professionals across the country adapted quickly and their efforts will be recognised with the National Coach of the Year, National Club Professional of the Year, National Management Professional of the Year and National Game Development Professional of the Year.
Past winners Richard Woodhouse and Ritchie Smith have again been nominated for Coach of the Year while former Tour player Tim Wood has received a nod for his work with the likes of NSW Open champion Josh Younger and Charles Kares for his work developing elite amateurs and the service he provides to members at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney.
Greg Norman Medal nominees
Minjee Lee: Finished third at the AIG Women’s Open and seventh at the ANA Inspiration before winning the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic, her eighth win as a professional.
Adam Scott: Won the Genesis Invitational in his first PGA Tour start of 2020 and was tied for 22nd at the US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.
Cameron Smith: Earned his first individual PGA Tour title at the Sony Open and was tied for second at The Masters, becoming the first player in history to record four sub-70 rounds at Augusta National.
Past winners
2015: Jason Day
2016: Jason Day
2017: Marc Leishman
2018: Minjee Lee
2019: Hannah Green
2020 PGA National Coach of the Year
Ritchie Smith (Royal Fremantle GC, WA)
Charles Kares (The Lakes GC, NSW)
Tim Wood (Rosanna GC, VIC)
Daniel Blackwell (Kooyonga GC, SA)
Richard Woodhouse (KDV Sport, QLD)
Aiden Withers (Seabrook GC, TAS)
2020 PGA National Club Professional of the Year
Tristan McCallum (Sea View GC, WA)
Joanne Bannerman (Cumberland CC, NSW)
Alan Patterson (Patterson River GC, VIC)
Cody Sherratt (Thaxted Park GC, SA)
Paul Orchard (Surfers Paradise GC, QLD)
James Corkill (Mowbray GC, TAS)
2020 PGA National Management Professional of the Year
Josh Madden (Wembley Golf Complex, WA)
Nigel Gibson (Manly GC, NSW)
Haydn Thompson (Pakenham GC, VIC)
Jamie Clutterham (North Adelaide GC, SA)
Tim Porter (Victoria Park Golf Complex, QLD)
2020 PGA National Game Development Professional of the Year
Mark Tibbles (The Vines Resort, WA)
Warren Moses (Nelson Bay GC, NSW)
Sandy Jamieson (Oakleigh GC, VIC)
Simon MacWhirter (North Adelaide GC, SA)
Mick Murnane (Bundaberg, QLD)
Adam Holden (Tasmania GC, TAS)
