The Official Murray Masters Tournament

Tournament Information
Location : Courses on the Murray River, Australia

Established : 2002
Course(s) : Tocumwal, Corowa, Murray Downs, Yarawonga, Cobram
Format : Stableford & Ambrose
Prize Fund : Adequate
Month Played : October
Current Champion : 2024 – Mr David O’Brien

The official Murray Masters is an international prestigious amateur endurance event. Each event takes full 12 months, the next event commencing at the moment the current year tournament winner is declared.

Critical to the event’s longevity, unilateral success and delivery against expectations is the level of organisation, rigorous contestant selection, planning, handicapping, document preparation and communications. This takes a committed team fully 11 months and three weeks to undertake.

Show-time for contestants is scheduled deliberately to coincide with the Cox Plate a horse race ‘rated by many to be the truest test of horses’ abilities in Australia’, indeed a fitting adjunct to the Murray Masters.

The inaugural Murray Masters occurred in October 2002, and was the result a single handed herculean effort by the Tournament Director Mr Ian Rowell.

The field of players, whilst expanded in recent years, is smaller than other major championships because it is an invitational event, entry being controlled contestant consensus and with final ruling by the Tournament Director

The tournament has a many traditions, leaders in the clubhouse after each days play are recognised, a perpetual trophy is awarded the Stableford tournament winner, the winning team of the prestigious Ambrose Tournament are awarded shirts embroidered with clubs logos, in a colour of their choice (thanks to generous sponsorship).

Whilst is is important to recognise these achievements made often under great stress, the underlying thread is to recognise success, not matter how or who is responsible.

The format of the public face of the Murray Masters might have you think this is a golf weekend, that view could not be further from the soul of the event. The Murray Masters is equally about contest, wagering and wine tasting as it is about golf.

Above all the Murray Masters is about camaraderie.

Ian Rowell, David O’Brien and Clive Driscoll have won the Murray Masters three times, Bruce Munro, Dave Redman, and Andrew Kennan  have all won the Murray Masters twice. Our other esteemed winners are Alex Goldhagen, Andrew Jones, Ed Kosciuk, Glenn Patrick, Ray Gibson, John Morgon, Mark Dupe, Max Borneman and Trevor Dohnt

Because the Murray Masters comprises only a small number of contestants, players move around the course in groups of four (occasionally three). There are several 18 hole rounds of Stableford competition, played on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the weekend.

Friday afternoon is rounded out with the annual Clive Driscoll Memorial Ambrose championship, comprising 9 gruelling holes of one shot Ambrose competition. Evening formalities emphasise individual and team achievement…

Handicaps are assigned prior to the tournament, and are reviewed in the light of day 1 scores by the match committee. No correspondence on handicaps has been entered into in the past nine years.

Friday evening sees contestants showered, and refreshed ready for the first official wagering opportunity through the sweep and Calcutta. Spirited bidding in recent years has cemented the Calcutta to be a highlight of the Murray Masters.

Saturday returns to the Stableford competition, post the early morning bacon and eggs, a quick visit to the pro-shop and two bottles of glucose to fend off the dreaded Friday night ‘dries’.

Saturday afternoon brings a change of pace, the Cox Plate wagering features, as does a sometimes  annual pilgrimage to Rutherglen… Saturday evening is a pinnacle event with a full clan gathering for the daily prizes and a stunning BBQ hosted by the Tournament Director.

No late sleepers Sunday as contestants line up pre 7.30am avoid club-day congestion. Pressure increases throughout the round, some more mentally agile contestants keeping a running total over the whole field of 16 contestants …. Sunday in the clubhouse is the first time contestants resume more normal personae …. a fascinating transformation…

Equipment

Contestants provide their own, or someone else’s golf clubs, bags, balls and general equipment.
Where sensible, use of golf carts is supported, excepting in the case of use of such carts to remediate self inflicted injuries. Use of caddies is not supported. Use of GPS equipment add to the amusement of contestants and is supported. Use of retriever dogs is not supported.

I-MAX Award

Throughout the Murray Masters there are countless opportunities to contribute to the atmosphere and spirit of this outstanding event. Since 2004, an award has been presented to the most outstanding individual contribution(s) to making the Masters a truly memorable event.

Tickets

Tickets are unavailable for the 2024 Murray Masters as the event has concluded. Would-be spectators for 2025 are actively encouraged to become participants.

Media

No commercial or government sponsored media have been involved in the Murray Masters to this point.

Sponsors

The Murray Masters has over the years been supported by sponsors who uphold the values and ideals of the Masters, and have generously contributed to the success of past events.

Rules

The Tournament Director makes the rules, which are published immediately prior to the event, and altered from time to time. Prior notice of rule changes is generally not forthcoming.

Appeals provided to the Match Committee for rule changes, will be considered and generally rejected as outside the spirit of the tournament.

Bad play can lead to handicap adjustment.
Good play can lead to handicap adjustment

Appeals to the Match Committee for handicap adjustments will be considered and generally rejected as outside the spirit of the tournament.

Field

Participants in the Murray Masters must be of good character. It is an invitational event, automatic consideration going to immediately past participants.

The top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are all eligible to apply for a limited number of places.

As with the US Masters, past Murray Masters champions are eligible to play, but unlike Augusta National they are not discouraged if at an advanced age.

To ensure fair and equitable opportunity invitations will be considered in the following priority order :

• Must be of good character.
• Immediately past Murray Masters participants
• Prior past Murray Masters participants
• Current winners of kindred Masters events (US Masters, British Open, Australian Open)
• Top 50 Golfers by World Ranking

Most of the top current players will meet the criteria of multiple categories for invitation. The Masters Committee, at its discretion, can also invite any golfer(s) not otherwise qualified.