A Game of Risk and Reward

The sign that greeted players at the Papua New Guinea airport in 2016 read "Land of the Unexpected." The Papua New Guinea Open was an inaugural event on the Australasian Tour. The player who shared the picture of the sign laughed as we spoke about the stories of his multiple journeys to the Pacific island country. "I had no idea how accurate that sign was," he said.  

Port Moresby Golf Club has hosted the PNG Open every year it has been played. The par-72 course measures almost 7,200 yards and has one unique feature: It is without a sand trap. It wasn't always that way. According to a few players, locals stole the sand from the bunkers to make concrete, and many of the rakes disappeared. It became such a problem that the course decided to fill in the bunkers. The entire course is also surrounded by a 10- foot fence to keep any of the locals out. The fence was made of thick rusted metal slats with sharpened tips. During tournament week, security guards armed with anything from batons, machetes, security dogs, and rifles to shotguns line most holes around the entire course. One year, a local somehow got through the fence, and a player said, "A guard just let his dog attack him (the intruder)." 

The clubhouse at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club sat on a hill overlooking the course. Down the hill was what one player described as a "prison-like" outside area and another described as a "caddie cage." A ten-foot high fence with a chain link gate housed the potential caddies. The fenced-off area was overcrowded with locals desperate for a caddie job that would pay $20 a day and included a much-needed free meal each day. Papua New Guinea has a poverty rate of over 40%, so a meal isn’t taken for granted. 

Security guards armed with batons were among the caddies, trying to keep the desperate mob at bay. Players would walk down the hill and pick out a caddie through the fence, a process one player described as  "kinda overwhelming." After picking out a caddie, one of the numerous security guards would buzz the hired caddie through the locked gate. In a video widely circulated among players, a guard with a baton can be seen severely beating back other caddies trying to get through the unlocked gate. The video is jarring; the images are hard to forget. One player added, "That shit went on every day."  

Playing in unsafe havens with questionable human rights records isn't new to professional golf. Events on the Latin American Tour, PGA Tour China, the Sunshine Tour, European and LIV have all been staged in dangerous places. Players getting robbed isn't uncommon. There have been many stops on tours around the globe where officials encourage players not to leave their hotel. 

I thought the story of the Papua New Guinea Open would offer insight into an Australasian Tour event held in one of the most remote places in the world. There are funny stories about host housing or a caddie who doesn't understand the game and not-so-funny stories about players getting robbed. The PNG Open has all those things, but the story of the PNG Open is unique. 

"I've been to more dangerous places," says one player who has competed all over the world, but I've never seen a place that treats locals like that." 

To understand the Papua New Guinea Open, you must first understand the country. Located less than 100 miles north of mainland Australia, Papua New Guinea borders Indonesia and is the third-largest island nation in the world. Only 13 percent of a country with a population of 10.5 million is urbanized, the second-lowest in the world. 

Papua New Guinea has the second-highest crime rate in the world and has one of the worst records of violence against women. According to the U.S. Department of State, kidnappings, rape, home invasions, and carjackings are "routine." A 2013 study by The Lancet states that over one-quarter of men admitted to raping a non-partner.

The country is rich in natural resources such as gold, gas, nickel, and copper. The government has worked hard to improve living conditions and create infrastructure. As it worked to bring golf to the country, it found a willing partner in the Australasian Tour.

The Papua New Guinea Open has been played six times since its 2016 debut, skipping three years starting in 2020 because of the pandemic. When the PNG Open returned to the schedule in 2023, it did so with a field of just 83 players, nearly 30 players short of a full field; 27 of 83 players were locals. The cut fell at 17-over. Lachlan Barker, an Aussie who played collegiately at Iowa State, won $21,000 from the $120,000 purse, with a 14-under total. 

This year's PNG Open was moved to the beginning of the Australasian Tour season. A move that filled the field for the first time, as players were willing to take the travel risk to set up the rest of their season.  "A lot of the top players skip it," one player told me. "It's a huge opportunity. I promised myself last season I'd never go again." The player was back in the field this year. 

The growing purse helped attract more guys to an event they promised they wouldn't attend again. This year's purse was nearly $135,000 ($200,000 Aus), and the winner, William Bruyeres, took home over $24,000. 

However, the schedule change frustrated some players. One player said, "They know the course is terrible, the country is dangerous, and this basically forces the players down the priority list to go." 

Although the conditions of the course itself have improved dramatically since the event's inception, the players I spoke with still considered the course "the worst or second worst" on the tour. 

For the second consecutive year, this year's field was set to include James Marape, the country's prime minister. Marape had “fired” 93-93 last year (he beat another player in the field by 17 strokes)  and was determined to improve on his performance in this year's event.

To my knowledge, an alternate has never moved into a field because the host country's prime minister withdrew, but nothing should come as a surprise at the PNG Open. Connor McDade was the first alternate, and on the day before the tournament began, he heard from a tournament official that the Prime Minister might not be able to make his tee time. The official said McDade should be near the 10th tee around 7:40.

The Prime Minister's compound is near the course, adorned with the "biggest (PNG) flag I've ever seen." McDade said he stared at the compound as the minutes counted down to the 7:40 tee time. "I was just hoping I wouldn't see his motorcade." A player staring at the Prime Minister's compound, hoping the country's leader doesn't show up for his tee time, perfectly sums up the PNG Open.

McDade took advantage of the opportunity, opening with a 65 to tie for the first-round lead. He followed that up with three more solid rounds and finished T11, jumping up ten categories on the Tour's priority list, changing the entire outlook of his season. He met the Prime Minister after his round Sunday and said Marape was very nice and posed for pictures. 

The opportunity to advance a season and perhaps a career is precisely why McDade and others are willing to travel to one of the most dangerous countries in the world in pursuit of their dreams. Aspiring tour professionals will go almost anywhere, travel advisories and warnings be damned. A tee time on an established tour means a chance to move up the money list, collect valuable World Ranking points, and maybe even graduate to a better tour. Among other places, events are held in remote areas of China, Africa, and South America, the fields filled with players who are grateful for a spot in the field and a place to play. 

When the Tour returned in 2023, the caddie cage where the widely circulated video was shot was gone from the bottom of the hill. It was relocated to the front of the property but is nothing like the previous version. Although the Tour didn't directly address the caddie area, they said in a statement to me. "In the years since the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia have been playing in PNG, the golf course, facilities and tournament operations have improved significantly at the host venue Royal Port Moresby Golf Club." 

(The tour declined multiple requests for an interview over the past 10 days. I agreed to delay the publication of this article to facilitate an interview. Last Monday, tour officials declined again. They did provide the statement, which is at the bottom of the article.) 

Players now choose their caddie by selecting one of the badges displayed on a table with the caddie's picture. The badge is then taken to the caddie master. However, players discovered that some caddies were suspended for stealing or other indiscretions. One player says he picked multiple badges before finding a caddie available for hire this year. 

And although the facilities have improved and the cage has gone away, issues with caddies still continue. 

Throughout the years, multiple players have had wallets, money, jewelry, and phones stolen by caddies. Theft is such an issue that the Tour encourages players to leave their wallets and any other things of value with the Tour at the clubhouse while they are out on the course. 

The theft issues continued this year, with an incident that led to one caddie allegedly getting beat up by security and other caddies. According to players I spoke with, one caddie showed up for the second round "on the Betel nut." The nut, the fruit of a palm that is grown throughout the area, can offer a quick and cheap high. A large portion of the population in PNG is addicted to it. 

During the second round, a trusted caddie warned his player that somebody should watch the other caddie in the group. The caddie acted erratically, often trailing the group by 100 yards and not making sense when he spoke. The longtime looper also warned that the caddie should be kept away from the fence surrounding the course (caddies who steal hand the money or items to someone through the fence). With limited options for caddies, players have no choice but to get through the round despite the challenges. "There are a lot of guys that go through three of four caddies in a week because of some issue," one player told me. 

When his round was complete, the player went to pay the caddie, only to discover that the small amount of cash he had in his wallet was gone. According to multiple people I spoke with, the caddie was taken away by security and beaten. Then, according to numerous players, the security team asked the player if he would like to join in. He declined. 

Multiple players told me there were good caddies and were happy to help the locals with food and a little pay. Also, most players donated clothes, shoes, and other things to the caddies after the event. One player said that his caddie lives in a village just beyond the pond on the 16th hole. "There is a croc that lives there. The locals swim there, but they all say they are friends with the croc, so they are safe." Although, according to one player, legend has it that a longtime trustworthy caddie walks with a limp after getting bit by the croc. 

Caddies are paid $20 per round, and players are encouraged not to pay them more because they become a target of other caddies or robbers outside the Royal Moresby gates. It is also customary to buy lunch each day for caddies. One player said his caddie would fill his bib with cans of soda from a cooler on the course to take home for his family. "He would have that thing loaded down with eight sodas." 

Most players said that if they followed the tour's guidelines, they would feel safe outside the course gates. However, there were still incidents.  

One player said he was assigned a host house in his first year. When he arrived, the owners told him his bed was out the back door. The player was shocked to find his "room" was a tin shed. His bed consisted of a metal frame without a mattress or pillows. Pigs and roosters shared the outside space with him.  I asked him how he slept, and he said, "I spread out a towel on the frame." The player somehow survived the week despite not sleeping. He vowed he would never return. 

Yet there he was again this year, and when he left for Australia after the tournament, he was one of roughly 25 guys who got sick. "I can honestly say I'll never go back," he told me in a text. It was a theme repeated by many players, but when the following year came, and they had a place in the field, they were on a flight to Papua New Guinea. 

Another player said he stayed at a host house during his first PNG Open. He had heard Papua New Guinea was dangerous, but it hit home when he heard the man he was staying with call his office each time he left his house to report who he was with and what kind of car he was in. According to the player, the man also wore a GPS tracker, so his friends and family always knew his location. 

Yet another player was on his way to the airport when the car he was riding in approached a police checkpoint. According to the player, the officer was high on Betel nut and demanded a bribe. When the host informed the officer he had no cash, the officer refused to give back his license. The officer then got into the car with his knife drawn and instructed the host to drive to an ATM. "But being its PNG, the first couple of ATMs were out of order." Finally, the third one worked, "Once he paid, we were free to go and barely made our flights." 

A rookie said it was alarming that the tour sent an email correspondence this year that included what to do in the event of a shooting. Although he added that there had "only been one shooting" that he had heard of, the player added that he felt safe except when he arrived and departed from the host hotel early in the morning. Most other players I spoke with said the same thing.

All the players I spoke with agreed the event has improved. And while most said they wouldn't go back if they had a choice, they did point to the tournament's positives. One player said he participated in a pro-am with a kid with real potential. In its statement, the tour pointed out it has junior clinics and a junior pro-am. Locals get 20 spots in the tournament proper and the tour’s  hope is to one day see a player from PNG playing professionally full-time. 

Last week the PGA Legends Tour event in PNG, run by the same Australasian Tour, was canceled because of heavy rain. Multiple players said that the event was in a “far worse area” of PNG. 

I am sure there is also a positive economic impact in a country desperate for tourism. The question is, at what cost? One player summed up his feelings by saying “I’ve never seen a top official at the event, but they expect us to go.” 

The PNG Open is proof that players will go anywhere to chase their dreams.


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The full statement from the PGA Tour of Australasia: 

The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, like many Tours around the world, holds events in a variety of locations, and the PNG Open shows the commitment to not only provide playing opportunities for our members, but have a positive impact through golf in the region. In the years since the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia have been playing in PNG, the golf course, facilities and tournament operations have improved significantly at the host venue Royal Port Moresby Golf Club. This has been reinforced by the players who return each year, including 2023 champion Lachlan Barker, in addition to this year’s field requiring a reserves list. Through our work as the sanctioning partner of the PNG Golf Association and Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, 20 local amateurs are able to contest their national Open each year, while additional events such as a junior Pro-Am and clinics during PNG Open week puts golf clubs in the hands of local children. As the Tour for the Australasian region, to one day see a player from Papua New Guinea travelling playing the game for a living and entering the top-100 of the world rankings, as has been the case in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, would be extremely rewarding. The staging of the PNG Open annually more than likely playing a role in such an outcome. Beyond the PNG Open, the PGA Legends Tour will contest the PNG Senior Open in September headlined by the likes of Peter Senior and Andre Stolz, who will return to the country for the chance to compete. A trip no doubt made in part due to the opportunity to spread the reach of the game in which they have made a career.