The reigning Vic Open champion has a potentially career-defining 11 months ahead of him, and he will be eligible to play on the DP World Tour for the first time after finishing third in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit tournament in the 2023/24 season.
He comes to Rosebud after not playing on tour since major tournaments in Australia in November and December, but returns as one of the favorites for the third Webex Players Series event this summer.
“It will be an important year,” the 28-year-old said ahead of his 2025 debut.
“I have given myself a lot of opportunities simply because of my good results over the last few years here.
“It gave me a good platform to move into Europe and now the International Series (on the Asian tour).
“It will be a good test this week to basically get rid of some of the cobwebs.”
There is no word yet on when Coletta will make his first start on the DP World Tour in 2025. However, he will make sure he is ready as soon as it is confirmed where he is heading.
“You play this waiting game and see where you need to go or where you might end up,” he said.
“The hardest thing is that we’re all the way in Australia, so if you call, you’ll be on a plane somewhere else in the world quite quickly. It will definitely be a challenge.”
If Coletta does not compete in the Qatar Masters, which is his next likely chance, he will be at 13th Beach next month to defend his Vic Open title.
“Maybe I won’t know until the last minute whether I’ll get there. But if I’m there playing the Vic Open, I’ll definitely give it my all and try to defend,” he said.
But before that, the three-time Tour winner is keen to make the most of his trip to one of his favorite Tour stops, where he will face the best on both the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
“I love coming back here and this year I think it’s the best golf course I’ve ever seen,” Coletta said.
“I played on the front nine this morning. I talked to a few greenkeepers and was impressed by how good the conditions were there. It is so lush and green.”
Coletta will start her first round on Thursday morning at 8am AEDT, playing alongside Kristalle Blum and Claire Shin.
– Paul Munnings.
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