The Australian PGA Championship grew out of the Australian Open championship. After the final round of the Open, the professionals in the field would compete for their own purse.
Whilst there is evidence of this occurring in 1904 the first year the Australian Open was played with Carnegie Clark taking the title, it is generally accepted that 1905 was in fact the first Australian Professional’s Championship.
(From the left: (back row) Charles Campbell, Carnegie Clark, unknown (second row) unknown, Dan Soutar, Rowley Banks, R.S. (Dick) Banks (front) J Victor East.
The founding father of the Professional Golfers’ Association in Australia, Dan Soutar won the event by defeating Gilies Martin 4 & 3 at Royal Melbourne.
The years 1905 to 1925 are sometimes considered “unofficial” in terms of the PGA Championship, but only because there is no reference in the PGA Board minutes until that time. Also, up until 1963 the event was decided as Match Play.
The winner receives the Joe Kirkwood Cup, named after legendary Australian golfer Joe Kirkwood Sr.
Year, Winner and Venue:
1897 James Scott: Geelong and Melbourne (Unofficial)
1905 Dan Soutar: Royal Melbourne
1906 Dan Soutar: Royal Sydney
1907 Dan Soutar: Royal Melbourne
1908 Carnegie Clark: The Australian
1909 Carnegie Clark: Oakleigh
1910 Dan Soutar: Glenelg
1911 Charles Campbell: Royal Sydney
1912 Unknown
1913 Carnegie Clark: Oakleigh
1914-1919 World War I. Did not play
1920 Unknown: Concord
1921 Arthur Le Fevre
1922 Charles Campbell: Royal Sydney
1923 Fred Popplewell: Royal Adelaide
1924 Tom Howard: Royal Melbourne
1925 Tom Howard: The Australian
1926 Frank (Happy) Eyre: The Australian
1927-1928 Unknown
1929 Rufus Stewart: Royal Adelaide
1930 Jock Robertson: Metropolitan
1931 John Donald Spence: The Australian
1932 Fergus McMahon: Royal Adelaide
1933 Sam Richardson: Royal Melbourne
1934 Lou Kelly: Royal Sydney
1935 Sam Richardson: Royal Adelaide
1936 William Clifford: Oakleigh
1937 Eric Cremin: The Australian
1938 Eric Cremin: Royal Adelaide
1939 Ted Naismith: Royal Melbourne
1940-1945 World War II. Did not play
1946 Norman Von Nida: Manly
1947 Ossie Pickworth: Royal Melbourne
1948 Norman Von Nida: Royal Hobart
1949 Kel Nagle: Royal Perth
1950 Norman von Nida: The Lakes
1951 Norman von Nida: Metropolitan
1952 William C. Holder: Roseville
1953 Ossie Pickworth: Royal Melbourne
1954 Kel Nagle: Royal Sydney
1955 Ossie Pickworth: Indooroopilly
1956 Les Wilson: St Michaels
1957 Gary Player: Huntingdale
1958 Kel Nagle: Kooyonga
1959 Kel Nagle: New South Wales
1960 John Sullivan: Royal Fremantle
1961 Allan Murray: Rossdale
1962 Bill Dunk: Rossdale
1963 Colin Johnston: Oatlands
1964 Colin Johnston: Monash
1965 Kel Nagle: Riversdale
1966 Bill Dunk: Royal Sydney
1967 Peter Thomson: Metropolitan
1968 Kel Nagle: Metropolitan
1969 Bruce Devlin: Royal Canberra
1970 Bruce Devlin: Surfers Paradise
1971 Bill Dunk: Surfers Paradise
1972 Randall Vines: The Lakes
1973 Randall Vines: Bonnie Doon
1974 Bill Dunk: Liverpool
1975 Vic Bennetts: Burleigh Heads
1976 Bill Dunk: Rosebud
1977 Mike Cahill: Yarra Yarra
1978 Hale Irwin: Royal Melbourne
1979 Stewart Ginn: Royal Melbourne
1980 Sam Torrence: Royal Melbourne
1981 Seve Ballesteros: Royal Melbourne
1982 Graham Marsh: Royal Melbourne
1983 Bob Shearer: Royal Melbourne
1984 Greg Norman: Monash
1985 Greg Norman: Castle Hill
1986 Michael Harwood; Castle Hill
1987 Roger Mackan: The Lakes
1988 Wayne Grady: Riverside Oaks
1989 Peter Senior: Riverside Oaks
1990 Brett Ogle: Riverside Oaks
1991 Wayne Grady: Concord
1992 Craig Parry: Concord
1993 Ian Baker-Finch: Concord
1994 Andrew Coltart: New South Wales
1995 Not played
1996 Phil Tataurangi: New South Wales
1997 Andrew Coltart: New South Wales
1998 David Howell: New South Wales
1999 Greg Turner: Victoria
2000 Robert Allenby: Royal Queensland
2001 Robert Allenby: Royal Queensland
2002 Peter Lonard, Jarrod Moseley: Hyatt Coolum
2003 Peter Senior: Hyatt Coolum
2004 Peter Lonard: Hyatt Coolum
2005 Robert Allenby: Hyatt Coolum
2006 Nick O'Hern: Hyatt Coolum
2007 Peter Lonard: Hyatt Coolum
For more Australian golfing history
