Melbourne, Australia: Five former amateur standouts have been added to the Golf Australia Rookie Squad for 2025, continuing the path that has taken them into High Performance squads and Australian amateur teams.

Kelsey Bennett, Justice Bosio, Jack Buchanan, Phoenix Campbell and Karl Vilips will receive financial support and guidance from the national organisation in the early phases of their careers as professionals.

Both Buchanan (South Australia) and Campbell (Victoria) have made strong early impressions on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, winning twice each in their first two seasons.

Vilips, who grew up in Western Australia before embarking on successful amateur and college careers in the United States, played his way onto the PGA Tour in 2024, after a fruitful debut season on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a win at the Utah Championship.

Having turned pro in 2023, Bennett has been successful in Australia and abroad, last season winning the Hauts de France on the LET Access Tour on the way to gaining membership on the Ladies European Tour. In 2021, Bennett tied for second place in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in Abu Dhabi, still the best performance by an Australian in the championship.

Queenslander Bosio, in her first year as a professional, was a dominant force in her amateur days. With a tied 11th at last year’s ISPS Handa Australian Open, she’s demonstrated she is at home among the world’s best. Prior to joining the ranks of the pros, Bosio placed seventh in last year’s WAAP in Thailand.

The five new players join returning squad members – Cassie Porter (Queensland), Elvis Smylie (Queensland), Gabi Ruffels (Victoria), Harrison Crowe (New South Wales) and Kirstin Rudgeley (Western Australia).

Crowe won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand in 2022 and played in the 2023 Bonallack Trophy, while Rudgeley represented Australia at the 2022 Queen Sirikit Cup.

With two wins already under his belt early in his professional career, Buchanan has burst onto the scene, but also understands there’s a long way to go yet.

“Having these resources to reach out to when I need help with certain things is going to be really important in the next year or so,” said Buchanan, a member of the triumphant Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation team that defeated their European Golf Association counterparts in the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy at La Manga in Spain in 2023.

He added: “I played a bit of golf with Karl at the Eisenhower Cup, and then I’ve played a fair bit with Phoenix this year. It’s cool to come in with a new crop of players like that.

“It’s been a good start to the professional life, so hopefully I can just keep that going and keep riding high.”

Young New South Wales professional Jeff Guan, who suffered a serious eye injury last September, will continue to be supported on his journey to recovery by the GA High Performance Programme but will not be part of the Rookie Squad for 2025.

Five players – Connor McKinney, Hayden Hopewell, Haydn Barron, Jack Thompson and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard – will not return as Rookies in 2025.

Golf Australia will continue to work closely with each athlete with support including access to key resources such as our international golf houses, High Performance support staff, service provider support and financial resources.

Having completed five and four years as rookies respectively, LPGA Tour members Steph Kyriacou and Grace Kim have graduated from the programme.

They will still receive on-going support and have access to the Golf Australia International housing. The Rookie Squad is supported by the Kinghorn Foundation with the goal of supporting players in the formative years of their careers.

“The Kinghorn Foundation’s support of our rookie programme continues to be a game-changer for Australian golf,” said Golf Australia High Performance Director Tony Meyer.

He added: “Just look at Cassie Porter, who secured her LPGA Tour card while being supported through the Rookie programme last year, and now we have exciting talents like Karl Vilips making it to the PGA Tour.

“This shows how crucial the programme’s support is during those challenging early years as a professional. It’s not just about financial backing – it’s about providing a complete support system that helps turn our talented amateurs into successful touring professionals.

“The strength of our 2025 squad, which includes multiple winners on various Tours, really demonstrates the programme’s value in developing Australia’s next generation of golfing stars.”