An $800,000 prize purse, and triple the Order of Merit points on offer in each of the opening four events this season, has attracted a formidable field headed by Lucas Herbert in the first Australian event of his post-LIV Golf era.

The 2024 NSW Open champion at Murray Downs has turned in an outstanding 2026 campaign that included two LIV Golf victories and a tied-sixth finish at The Open Championship, where he equalled the major championship scoring record with a second-round 62.

He's the clear favourite this week, but he won’t be expecting it to be a breeze.

The starting list includes 18 winners from the past two seasons on the Australasian Tour including new WA Open champion James Marchesani, who returns to The Vintage looking to go one better after finishing runner-up in a dramatic three-way playoff in 2025, and Austin Bautista, making his first start in Australia for the season after winning on the Sunshine Tour.

Also entered are last-start Players Series South Australia champion Adam Bland, PNG Open winner Josh Armstrong and current Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia No.1 Louis Dobbelaar, who has two runner-up finishes already this season.

Rising NSW amateur Kayun Mudadana will also be one to watch following his outstanding third-place finish at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Te Arai.

Last year’s winner Christopher Wood is not back this week, playing instead in an Asian Tour event in the Philippines, while joint runner-up Will Florimo has been part of the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School.

There will be five hours of live coverage of the final two rounds, with play broadcast from 12pm on Saturday and Sunday on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.