The novel event wound its way around six courses in the winter of 2019 before finishing at Mount Isa for a million dollar hole in one challenge and a similar 2020 event finishing at Longreach has been be postponed to 2021 due to COVID.

A hole-in-one

However the event award nomination has brought the smiles back at Golf Australia.

“It’s almost as good as hearing we had a hole-in-one,” said Luke Bates, Queensland State Senior Manager.

“To achieve this in the event’s very first year is wonderful recognition for not only our team, but our strategic partners, including Tourism and Events Queensland, the PGA of Australia and the six regional communities who hosted the inaugural Outback Queensland Masters, including Roma, Charleville, Winton, Longreach, Boulia and Mount Isa. And of course to the players and spectators who supported us in our first year travelling from all over Australia to join us.”

Event industry leaders and experts from around Australia who judge the Awards have read through hundreds of entries and determined that Outback Queensland Masters deserved to sit among the National Finalists with entries judged on all aspects of event management including best practice, innovation, marketing, stakeholder engagement and management, sustainability and event legacy.

Incredible result

Brenda LaPorte, co-chair of the Judging Panel, said entries put forward for judging on average scored significantly higher than last year.

“This is an incredible result knowing what the industry has been through in 2020,” Ms LaPorte said.

“It clearly reflects the high quality of the events delivered across Australia and what we have to look forward to when our industry makes its comeback.”

Australian Event Award Winners will be announced in October 2020 at the Awards Ceremony in Adelaide, where the Outback Queensland Masters is vying for the Best New Event category in Australia.

The next Outback Queensland Masters will be next held from June 19 to July 25 2021 with $10,000 hole-in-one challenges in Biloela, Charleville, Quilpie, Blackall and Hughenden finishing with the million dollar hole-in-one challenge in Longreach.

Source: The North West Star