The European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia are to introduce a new tournament format into next season’s schedule.
The inaugural World Super 6 Perth will feature 54 holes of stroke play before the final 24 players battle it out over a final day six-hole shoot-out.
To be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, Western Australia, from February 16-19, and co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour, the World Super 6 Perth will be a world-first in professional golf.
The tournament will see a cut after 36 holes, before the field is then further reduced to the top 24 players after the third round, with any ties for 24th place being decided by a play-off. Those remaining players will then earn their places in the six-hole shoot-out. Any matches tied after the six holes will be decided by playing the new Knockout Hole – a purpose-built 90-metre hole which will be constructed at Lake Karrinyup, with a new tee placed adjacent to the 18th fairway and utilising the 18th green.
The knockout hole will be played once and if a winner is still not decided, the competitors will return to the new tee and take on a decider, with the victor decided on a nearest-the-pin contest. That player will then progress to the next round of the match play or, in the case of the final match, win the tournament.
“This is an exciting day for international golf,” said Brian Thorburn, CEO of the PGA of Australia. “Cricket has Twenty20, Netball has Fast5, Rugby Union has Rugby7’s, and now golf has the World Super 6.”
European Tour boss Keith Pelley, said: “This initiative was something that we spoke about at great length to our tournament committee. We are thrilled to participate in this because, at the European Tour, we believe that golf needs to look at new and innovative formats.”
Money won at the World Super 6 Perth will count towards the 2017 European Tour Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.