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Macpherson also won A$10,000 (\u00a34,979) to go with his spot at the tournament, which begins on Thursday in New South Wales, Australia, with a prize pot of A$800,000 (\u00a3609,624). <\/p>\n
With plenty of experience on the simulator and spotting Golf NSW was introducing a new virtual pathway as a way to qualify, he decided to enter. “It all paid off, thankfully,” he said. <\/p>\n
Macpherson’s triumph in the final, without touching a blade of grass, was secured on a course he knows well – Bonnie Doon, the third oldest golf club in Sydney. <\/p>\n
“I have played there a few times, so I know where I was going and stuff like that,” he added. “And I played quite a lot of sim golf when I’ve been practising, so I knew what spots to avoid and whatnot.”<\/p>\n
Indoor golf simulators have grown in popularity in recent years and are used as a training device by many of the sport’s top players. <\/p>\n
The technology uses a combination of hardware and software that allows golfers to play via a giant screen, without the need for a golf course or driving range.<\/p>\n
In January, major winners Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy launched Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL), an indoor simulator league featuring PGA Tour players, which aimed “to take golf into the 21st Century”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n