What’s on this week, then? It’s Australian Open time.
Ah right. So where’s it being played? In the famous Melbourne Sandbelt. Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs co-host the tournaments.
Tournaments? You mean there’s more than one? Yes, the men’s and women’s national Opens are again being held concurrently across both courses.
How’s that work? For the first two days, the men’s and women’s fields — 156 and 84 competitors, respectively — play one round on each course. Following the cut, Kingston Heath hosts the final two days of action.
Sounds like it’s going to be busy? If you thought last week’s Australian PGA was slow going, this week will be a grind!
Has Elvis left the building? The puns are certainly flowing freely after Elvis Smylie won last week’s Australian PGA. No he hasn't left the building, he'll be teeing it up in Melbourne.
Any star locals playing? The men’s field features Cam Smith, Cam Davis (pictured below), Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee. Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou headline the women’s field.
Is there going to be an international flavour this year? The men’s Australian Open is a co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour, so there are plenty of Europeans playing. Victor Perez and Jordan Smith are the top liners but Spain’s Angel Ayora and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen played amazingly last week in their DP World Tour debuts. Oh, and American Harry Higgs, the bloke who took his shirt off at the Phoenix Open a few years ago, is also playing.
What about the women? Apart from Hannah Green and Minjee Lee (pictured below), American major winner and former world No.2 Danielle Kang is arguably the most recognisable name in the field. Kang is on the comeback trail after surgery to remove a tumour from her spine so is still searching for her best form. Korea’s Jenny Shin returns after a solid year on the LPGA and she finished tied third at last year’s Australian Open. And Jiyai Shin, also from Korea, looks one of the favourites. Jiyai won the Australian Open in 2013, is a two-time major winner and finished tied second at the Women’s Open Championship at St Andrews this year.
Who are the defending champions, then? Joaquin Niemann and South Africa's Ashley Buhai, who won her second straight Australian Open.
Niemann? As in the captain of Torque GC? Yes! The Chilean won in a play-off last year after storming home in an epic final round. He has had an excellent year too, winning LIV Mayakoba and LIV Jeddah and notching eight more top 10 finishes, including two seconds. He also finished seventh at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai a couple of weeks ago.
Sounds like the Chilean is coming in hot? Can anyone beat him? Marc Leishman will be looking forward to returning to the Sandbelt and appears a top chance. Leish looked in good nick at the PGA Championship but couldn’t buy a putt. He should appreciate the faster greens this week and if he can convert his opportunities on the greens, might be able to finally win his first Australian Open. Ripper GC captain Cam Smith is always a massive chance and the other Cam, Cam Davis, looks ready to launch this week.
Who’s going to win the women’s Australian Open? Hannah Green has had a brilliant year, winning three times and claiming the Greg Norman medal — Australian golf’s Brownlow. Green is the one to beat but you’d think she’ll have to edge out Jiyai Shin to claim her first Australian Open title.
How much money is up for grabs? $3.4 million split across both tournaments. The men’s winner will lift the Stonehaven Cup, while the women will compete for the Patricia Bridges Bowl.
Any chance the national Open could go national one of these days? Aside from a one-off visit to the Gold Coast in 2001, the men’s Australian Open hasn’t left Sydney or Melbourne since 1974. It would be nice to see the Open be rotated around the country, but Australia’s biggest cities seem to have cornered the market.
What’s the best Aussie underdog story this week? NSW cult hero Corey Lamb (pictured below) notches a win for the big fellas in the men’s event. Victoria’s Su Oh comes from the clouds to win the women’s tournament and begins her path back to the LPGA Tour.
|
Written by Jamie Martin
Jamie Martin is currently locked in a battle to keep his handicap hovering around the mid-single digits. Despite his obvious short-game shortcomings, Jamie enjoys playing and writing about every aspect of golf and is often seen making practice swings in a mirror.
|