Overview
- Gavin Macpherson, 35, qualified by winning the inaugural NSW Virtual Open in October, becoming the first player to reach the real NSW Open via a simulator event.
- He earned A$10,000 with the virtual victory, which was contested on a network of simulators and served as a direct qualifier created by Golf NSW.
- The Glasgow-born former Stirling Albion footballer now works at Royal Sydney and is progressing through the Australian PGA membership pathway.
- The NSW Open begins Thursday at the Vintage in the Hunter Valley, with a field that includes Lucas Herbert and Jed Morgan and a purse reported at A$800,000.
- Macpherson credits extensive simulator practice and familiarity with Bonnie Doon—used for the virtual final—while the broader rise of sim golf is being propelled by technologies like TrackMan and high-profile formats such as TGL and Next Tour Golf.