Australia's rising stars vow to 'Give Back'

Australia’s new wave of elite professional golfers will help fund the future of golf in this country under a groundbreaking new program.

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt today announced the “Give Back” program – a revolutionary plan agreed to by the body’s high performance staff and athletes, which has already attracted inquiries from overseas golfing bodies looking to replicate the program.

Minjee Lee is one player who will be one of the first to provide funds for future stars.
PHOTO: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images.

“In essence, when graduates of our high performance squads reach a certain threshold in professional world rankings each year on the world’s top tours, they will put some of their earnings back into the Golf Australia high performance pot for the next generation,” Pitt said.

“We could not be prouder that our brightest young talent are effectively putting their hands into their pockets to say thanks to all those who’ve helped them achieve their professional goals.

“It says everything about them as people, not just athletes, that they’re prepared to help the next wave push through by giving them the same opportunities they received to reach their potential.”

Each player since 2015 who has been in the Golf Australia national or rookie squads has signed a commitment to be part of “Give Back”.

Once athletes reach a world rankings threshold – top 125 for men and top 50 for women – a small percentage of their prizemoney will be returned to high performance programs throughout Australia.

Australian PGA Champion Nathan Holman.
PHOTO: Ian Walton/Getty Images.

This money will be reinvested to assist the development of future stars of the game.

No athlete will be asked to give back for more than five years, nor more than the funds they received through the program when they were participants. There is no compulsion for players who don’t reach those benchmarks to contribute and endorsement deals aren’t taken into account.

Money will only be given back once an athlete reaches his or her sixth year as a professional. This allows athletes time to establish themselves before the commitment begins.

Queensland's Cameron Smith will fund a scholarship out of his own pocket for outstanding young squad members.
PHOTO: Tom Pennington/Getty Images.

Of those participants since 2015, Minjee Lee has already reached the benchmark, but she won’t return any money until 2020, her sixth year as a pro.

Australian PGA champion Nathan Holman turned professional in 2014, so is eligible to give back in 2019 and, at No.176 in the world rankings, is approaching the men’s threshold.

As part of the “Give Back” culture Golf Australia is trying to create, Cameron Smith has shown his commitment by setting up a separate scholarship in his name.

The 22-year-old former Golf Australia squad member, who tied for fourth at last year’s US Open, will give an annual $12,500 sponsorship to a player he and Golf Australia’s high performance team jointly select.

The inaugural Cameron Smith Scholarship has been awarded to Golf Australia national squad junior member Louis Dobbelaar. The 15-year-old, who plays out of Brisbane’s Brookwater Golf and Country Club, had an outstanding 2015 in winning the Queensland Boys Amateur, the Victorian Junior Masters and Srixon International Sub-Junior Classic.