Fifteen of the top-20 on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit will make the trip to Rich River’s East Course starting Thursday, the second time this season the tour has visited the mighty Murray River.

It is the strongest field to have gathered on the Murray for a PGA Tour of Australasia event in over 35 years and, as the penultimate event of the season, will have a significant influence on the final Order of Merit standings.

With $400,000 in total prize money and 2,000 Order of Merit points to be distributed, what transpires over 72 holes at Rich River may decide who are the travelling trio punching their ticket to the DP World Tour at the seasons end, and, it will not be the first time that Rich River has served as a gateway to Europe.

In the mid-1980s, the Rich River Classic not only welcomed the best Australian players of the day but concurrently staged the Australian PGA Seniors Championship.

That drew the likes of five-time Open champion Peter Thomson and 1969 US Open champion Orville Moody, Moody winning twice including a 10-stroke win from Sydney’s Harry Berwick in 1987.

Although its spot on the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule was short-lived, the Rich River Classic also crowned some household names as champions.

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Given its proximity to Melbourne and falling before the European Tour season kicked into gear, the Rich River Classic attracted the likes of Ian Baker-Finch, Rodger Davis, Mike Clayton, Roger Mackay, Peter Fowler in its two years before a change in format.

The New South Wales Open Golf Championship has a rich history that dates back to 1931, the Championship honour roll includes many of Australia’s finest golfers including World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, and Peter Thomson; legends such as Norman Von Nida, Eric Cremin and Frank Phillips and amateurs including five-time champion Jim Ferrier, Owen Beldham and Tony Gresham.

Other prominent names to lift the trophy include Ian Baker-Finch, Ted Ball, Billy Dunk, Peter Lonard, Jack Newton, Peter O’Malley, Craig Parry, Bob Shearer, Ian Stanley and Jason Scrivener.

Players this week are playing for points that have the potential to change their careers.

Fresh from his reconnaissance mission to Augusta National ahead of his debut at The Masters next month, amateur Harrison Crowe returns to defend the title he won in dramatic fashion 12 months ago.

A two-time winner already this season, David Micheluzzi has a 228-point lead from NZ Open champion Brendan Jones, the winner this week to receive 380 points.

Less than 90 points separate Andrew Martin (fourth), Tom Power Horan (fifth) and Michael Hendry (sixth) while New Zealand PGA champion Louis Dobbelaar will be looking advance even further after climbing 77 spots to No.23 by virtue of Sunday’s win. This makes for an action-packed week at one of the country’s most historic open championships.