Micheluzzi excited to get rookie DP World Tour season under way

David Micheluzzi is excited to begin his rookie DP World Tour campaign on home soil at this week’s Fortinet Australian PGA Championship as the 2024 Race to Dubai kicks off at Royal Queensland Golf Club.

The 27-year-old earned full status on the DP World Tour for the forthcoming year after topping the 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and he heads into the season in a rich vein of form after winning last week’s Victorian PGA Championship.

The Australian overcame a seven-shot deficit in the final round to claim his fourth victory on the Challenge PGA Tour of Australasia, adding to the three titles he won during his breakthrough year as he won the season-long standings.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be in this position 12 months ago, and now we’re here with four wins and to make my full membership debut in Australia is amazing. I’ve got thank everyone in my team for helping me along the way and now I’m looking forward to playing with all the big boys in Europe and around the world. I can’t wait.”

Micheluzzi was given a handful of opportunities to play on the DP World Tour in 2023, making five cuts from six starts and finishing no lower than T21 when he did make the weekend. His best result of the season came at this same event in November 2022 as he finished sixth.

“I finished decently high on the Race to Dubai for how many cuts I made, so I have a lot of confidence going forward and hopefully it makes it smooth sailing going into the year,” he added. “I’m just looking forward to being out there. It doesn’t matter how many events I play, I just want to be out there and play the best I can.

In addition to his four wins in 2023, he also made his first Major Championship appearances at the US PGA Championship and The 151st Open, as well as his PGA TOUR debut at the AT&T Byron Nelson. On Tuesday night he was also the recipient of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year Award.

“(The highlight from last season) was finding out I got into the PGA, that was my first Major,” Micheluzzi continued. “I only found out six days before the week started. I was lucky I was already over there. When I found out I think it was the most excited I’d ever been.

“It was the Monday of the Byron Nelson. I went there, first time at a PGA TOUR event, it was a circus. A lot of people around. Then I got back after a long, saw that email, was knackered but I couldn’t sleep that night. I was so excited. That was my highlight.”

Micheluzzi will start his 2024 Race to Dubai campaign in the company of two DP World Tour winners from 2023 in Lucas Herbert and Dan Hillier. Herbert won his third DP World Tour title at the ISPS HANDA – CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan, while Hillier claimed a maiden victory at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.