Sydney star Grace Kim will be the headline act next week when the inaugural edition of the Drummond Golf Melbourne International gets underway next Monday 24th January at Latrobe Golf Club in Melbourne. Kim is coming off a second-place finish in the WPGA Championship of Australia last week at Royal Queensland Golf Club and will be brimming with confidence after picking up the first substantial cheque of her fledgling professional career. The 2020 Australian amateur champion spent much of 2021 competing in the USA as an amateur, collecting two professional titles on the Women's All-Pro Tour and also qualifying for the US Women's amateur championship prior to turning professional in September last year. A four-time recipient of the Karrie Webb Scholarship, Kim's list of accomplishments also includes wins in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aries and the 2018 Annika Invitational in New Zealand. The same year she was selected to represent Australia in the Queen Sirikit Cup.

In April, Kim became Australia's second-ever competitor in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. While the 21-year-old breezed through the first stage of LPGA Qualifying School in 2021 she fell just short of gaining LPGA status for 2022, and will follow the path her countrywomen and mate Hannah Green took in gaining experience playing on the Symetra Tour prior to taking the step up to the LPGA Tour. Another player to watch next week will be Queenslander Karis Davidson, who after three years competing on the Japan LPGA Tour has recently secured her card to compete on the US LPGA Tour in 2022. Davidson finished 4th in the WPGA Championship last week and on her day is a classy player who could prove tough to beat. Victorian Julienne Soo is also coming off a solid week in Brisbane having finished in 6th place, the underrated Symetra Tour player has an abundance of talent and it would be no surprise to see the local favourite contending come Tuesday afternoon. Two time Ladies European Tour winner and  2013 Vic Open Champion Stacey Peters (nee Keating) will make her return to professional golf after giving birth to her daughter Zoe in May 2021, while international stars Korean Min A Yoon, Englishwoman Charlotte Thomas, and Welshwoman Lydia Hall, a former European Masters Champion, will no doubt have their eyes firmly on the $7,500 winners prize. The Drummond Golf Melbourne International is the equal largest pro-am event in the history of the WPGA Tour, carrying prizemoney of $50,000. WPGA Tour of Australasia Chief Executive Karen Lunn said, “A huge congratulations must go out to the team at Latrobe Golf Club for putting this event together, especially during such challenging times. It would have been very easy to postpone the event, however, the team was 100% committed to going ahead in 2022 to provide our members the opportunity to compete in this exciting new event which is a welcome addition to the WPGA Tour schedule. I would like to also say a huge thanks to all of the event sponsors and partners who have come on board in year one, it will be fantastic for the people of Melbourne to be able to come out and watch our female talent in action.” Day 1 of the event will be played in a pro-am format and will get underway at Latrobe Golf Club at 7:45am on Monday 24th January in a shotgun start. The afternoon groups will tee off at 1:15pm Day 2 will see the 40 professionals and elite amateur players battle it out to see who will be the first-ever winner of the Drummond Golf Melbourne International. Latrobe Club Captain Simon Preece spoke of his pride in hosting this prestigious event, “I'm proud that the Board of Latrobe Golf Club had the vision to drive a concept that was presented to them which has now become the Drummond Golf WPGA Melbourne International. We would like to thank all our sponsors for backing this vision. We are excited to be hosting the Drummond Golf WPGA Melbourne International at Latrobe Golf Club and with the continued support from our sponsors, Vic Health and the Victorian State Government we look forward to growing this event into a marquee event over the coming years.” Mr Ravi Mabeyaratne Marketing Director of title sponsor Drummond Golf said, ‘As a long-term partner of Golf Australia and the Women’s Australian Open, Drummond Golf is committed to helping grow the game for women. With that in mind, supporting this event is a logical step in Drummond Golf continuing to support women’s golf in Australia. We love the energy and enthusiasm Latrobe Golf Club has for growing the game for women and juniors. This was evident from the development of the 5 hole course. It showed that they have a great understanding that new golfers need a less intimidating environment to start their golf journey. It is a sizable financial commitment from the club, this reflects a genuine commitment. This partnership is a “no brainer” for Drummond Golf. We are very much looking forward to the first edition of the Melbourne International. We want this event to be seen as a celebration of golf in our community, and use it to encourage new people from all backgrounds and walks of life to our sport. “ Spectators are welcome provided they can provide proof of vaccination, please click on this link below to receive your free e-ticket for entry to the event. Live scores can be found HERE