The inaugural Sandbelt Invitational tees off in Melbourne tomorrow

The Sandbelt Invitational is made up of four rounds of golf across four of the best golf courses in the world.

In the wake of the cancellation of the Australian Open, Geoff Ogilvy set about creating a new golf tournament providing an opportunity for some of our best golfers to play a golf tournament, under tournament conditions on some of the world’s best golf courses.

Modelled on the Dunhill Links Championship played on golf courses in Scotland, the unique aspect of the Sandbelt Invitational sees 63 male and female golfers playing four rounds of golf on four different courses in Melbourne’s famous sandbelt.

Round one sees 63 professional and amateur golfers playing Kingston Heath Golf Club on Monday, 20 December followed by rounds two, three and four at Royal Melbourne, Yarra Yarra and Peninsula Kingswood respectively.

The event has created a buzz in world golf.

Sandbelt Invitational organisers deliberately didn’t set out to find a major sponsor, nor will the tournament be shown on TV. And golfers will be competing for just $50,000 in prize money.

The attraction is the venue, or in this case, venues.

Keen to test themselves on the best golf courses in the world, the Sandbelt Invitational spreads itself out across four of the best courses in the world – all in one event.

Rory McIlroy himself said he was considering playing the ultimately COVID-cancelled 2020 Australian Open because it was being played at Kingston Heath.

The field this week includes world number 41 Lucas Herbert, Geoff Ogilvy, Su Oh, Elvis Smylie and Marcus Fraser with spectators permitted for rounds two, three and four.

All scoring and information for the Sandbelt Invitational can be found at sandbeltinvitational.com