When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Another busy week in the world of golf surrounding the majors.
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Victoria Golf Club (Geoff Shackelford)
While we’ve had tournaments of a similar format, the Australian Open becomes the first to bring the men and women together for concurrent national golf championships December 1-4, 2022.
The DP World Tour will co-sanction the men’s event.
Even better, they have lined up the magnificent Victoria Golf Club for the finale, with the incredible Kingston Heath hosting early action.
From the release:
The men’s event will headline the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, while the women’s event will be sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
In another first for the Australian Open, the men’s event will also be sanctioned on the DP World Tour, putting Australian golf on the world stage for two consecutive weeks with the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship to be staged at Royal Queensland the week prior.
Field sizes of 144 men and 144 women will compete for an equal split of the minimum $3.4 million prizemoney on offer.
The Australian Open will also feature the third edition of the Australian All Abilities Championship assembling the top 12 players on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability from across the world. Golf Australia’s Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said the new format is a significant strategic move that has involved in depth long-term planning.
Today is a historic day, with Golf Australia confirming the first-ever joint men’s and women’s Australian Open, in addition to the Australian All Abilities Championship, to be hosted by @VicGolfClub & @KingstonHeathGC from Dec 1-4.
— Golf Australia ⛳️ (@GolfAust) April 28, 2022
Read the announcement: https://t.co/xP0sITf2C7 pic.twitter.com/KZ6RSzFSo7
Two more editions to come. Will it be Royal Melbourne or will another venue get the opportunity?
Presidents Cup makes long-term commitment to Melbourne; set to return in 2028 and 2040
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, USA, and MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – The PGA TOUR today announced a long-term commitment to staging the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with the biennial global team competition set to return to the iconic Sandbelt in 2028 and 2040. The 2028 Presidents Cup will mark the event’s fourth visit to Melbourne, matching Gainesville (Virginia, USA) for most Cups contested in one city.
The venue for the 2028 Presidents Cup will be announced at a later date. The Presidents Cup was staged at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in its three previous trips to Melbourne (1998, 2011, 2019), with the International Team defeating the U.S. Team in 1998 under the leadership of the late Peter Thomson, while the U.S. Team claimed the Cup in 2011 and 2019.
“Since the Presidents Cup was first staged in Melbourne in 1998, Australia and its passionate fanbase have played a leading role in the growth of the Presidents Cup,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As the event continues to visit new corners of the globe, we remain committed to a presence in Melbourne and the Sandbelt region, a place our players and fans around the world hold in high regard. Our partnership with State of Victoria and Visit Victoria has been a winning combination, and we’re thrilled with the support we’ve received from Premier Andrews in securing the 2028 and 2040 dates.”
Australia was the Presidents Cup’s first international destination, and has since visited South Africa (2003), Canada (2007) and Korea (2015) in addition to twice returning to Australia.
“Securing two more Presidents Cups is a real coup for Melbourne, promoting our city to the world and providing a boost for tourism and jobs,” said Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula.
The Presidents Cup was last played in 2019 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which saw the U.S. Team mount a thrilling comeback on the final day to claim victory over a renewed International Team in Australia. The Presidents Cup will return in 2022 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 20-25, following a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re delighted that the Presidents Cup will be back in 2028 and 2040, cementing Melbourne’s position as a global events destination and the major events capital of Australia,” said Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements.
A special Sandbelt Invitational post-op analysis with co-founder Mike Clayton offers an in-depth look at the event that offered mostly young Australians the chance to play tournament conditions at some of the planet’s best.
Plus, we touched on Tiger’s return, the latest Saudi and PGA Tour moves and what we’re looking forward to in 2022.
Golf Australia’s Jimmy Emmanuel reports on the first-ever Sandbelt Invitational hosted by Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Clayton, won by 31-year-old Brady Watt the former World No. 1 amateur and Perth native. The four-sandbelt course featured, men, women and amateurs. Grace Kim won the low woman pro title.
Emmanuel writes:
All four will leave the event and the spectacular Peninsula Kingswood extremely happy. But so will Clayton, Ogilvy and co. who have created something extremely special that has proven big names and big tents aren’t the recipe for tournament success. Quality courses and a unique learning opportunity for young players a winning combination that might draw the other sooner rather than later.
And in a follow up column, Emmanuel raved:
The four layouts that welcomed the likes of Herbert, Ogilvy, Peter Fowler, Su Oh, Grace Kim and others were the stars of the show. All four are ranked in the top-20 courses in the country and setup as if the Australian Open was finishing on the grounds the day they welcomed the field of a little over 60.
“It’s the best courses that we have, setup as well as they can be setup, with the best players we can find. What else do you need, that’s a pretty good formula,” Ogilvy said of the event to Golf Australia magazine.
Australia has been starved of big tournament golf due to COVID, but our best courses have gone wanting even longer for other reasons. And Ogilvy, Clayton and the rest of the organising crew proved the value of venue when creating something that draws attention locally and overseas, impresses the players and has people wanting more.
Here’s a nice video from the official account:
Final round of the 2021 Sandbelt Invitational at @pkcgc
— Sandbelt Invitational (@SandbeltInv) December 23, 2021
Congratulations to:
Overall & men’s pro champ @BradyWatt
Women’s pro champ @gracekimmey
Men’s amateur champ @jyepickin
Women’s amateur champ @jeneathwong #SandbeltInvitational
Scores 👉🏼 https://t.co/d8uJlloiAn pic.twitter.com/vUAOZoEDVl
Just a reminder to American audiences that the 12th Asia-Pacific Amateur kicks off Wednesday after a one year hiatus. It’s also the first playing since Hideki Matsuyama, a former two-time winner of the event captured the Masters.
They’re playing the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, which is most famous for its clubhouse and a floating tee. No one in the field cares where they’re playing with the winner earning and invitation to the Masters and The Open at St Andrews.
You can follow the scoring here.
Coverage times:
In this Golf Australia story, Mike Clayton explains how the Sandbelt Invitational came together and the thinking he and Geoff Ogilvy have for the four-course event to include pros and amateurs just before Christmas. It’s a continuation of the Australian traditions of mentoring players.
Geoff started his foundation with the simple aim of older players mentoring and playing with the younger ones and during the year we played at least a dozen single day events which came to be known as ‘The Game’. It put the best men and women together in a competitive environment for a whole lot of players who usually would have been travelling the world honing their games.
It’s the traditional way Australia has developed players going all the way back to Norman Von Nida helping a young Peter Thomson on his way in Britain. Thomson in turn advised generations of players including Graham Marsh, Stewart Ginn and Ian Baker-Finch.
This is not a tournament reliant on who is playing or how much money is in the purse. Rather it’s a tournament played on four amazing courses with players happy to be playing in front of crowds appreciative of good, competitive golf.
Royal Melbourne
Exciting news from Down Under: Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Clayton are teaming up to create The Sandbelt Invitational just before Christmas, December 20-23, 2021. The four course event will feature Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Yarra Yarra and Peninsula Kingswood with men and women, pros and amateurs.
As the feature below lays out, the event has been created to give Australian pros an opportunity to compete after losing this year’s Australian Opens.
My favorite part in this clip? Seeing “Tournament Director” under Mike Clayton’s name!
US Open champion @GeoffOgilvyGolf has launched a brand new pro golf tournament in Melbourne - The Sandbelt Invitational.
— Henry Peters (@henrypeters22) October 19, 2021
Held on 4 world-class courses, the event boasts an unorthodox format and a vision to become Australia's premier pro tournament.@10NewsFirstMelb pic.twitter.com/X1IezluMRn
The Age’s Noel Towell and Samantha Hutchinson report on Royal Melbourne’s first-in-Australia (and anywhere I know of) with a “no jab, no play” policy.
Club captain Andrew Kirby alerted the membership in an email obtained by The Age and he did not soft-pedal the renowned club’s stance on receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We got incredibly strong support from the members, an amazing number of notes and passionate support from staff and from other clubs,” Mr Kirby said.
“We’ve got lots of rules in golf and here’s another one. If you want to play, you’ll have to be vaccinated. At least one jab, then two and of course there’ll be a system of registration.”
Kirby, whose day job is commercial litigation barrister, says Royal Melbourne expects most if not all clubs in the state to introduce no-jab no play mandates as the sport continues its efforts to convince Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Premier Daniel Andrews that courses can re-open safely.
Defending Champions Adam Scott, Inbee Park and Matt Jones
For the first time since the final year of World War II, the men’s Australian Open golf tournament will not be staged. Due to COVID-19 related issues, Golf Australia has also announced the cancellation of the Australian PGA and Women’s Open, which were last cancelled in 1995 and 2006, respectively.
From Golf Australia’s announcement:
“But even with multiple contingency plans, it has reached a point where decisions have to be made and this, regrettably, is the one we’ve had to take.”
A raft of measures were considered – including players entering a hub and competing while serving a strict quarantine period, as well as restricting crowd numbers and movement – but all options were unviable.
“We look forward to bringing all three tournaments alive again when they return as normal for summer 2021-22,” Kirkman said.
The Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship – the feature events on the PGA Tour of Australasia – were originally slated for a late November and early December window, to be played at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath and Brisbane’s Royal Queensland, respectively.
11th hole at Kingston Heath (Geoff Shackelford)
No Kingston Heath later this year. Best case: January to March is an option.
For Immediate and Disappointing Release:
The Australian Open will not be played in 2020.
Golf Australia operations manager Simon Brookhouse remains very hopeful that the national championship, the fifth oldest in professional golf, will still be played this summer.
“These are very challenging times for all Australians and the uncertainty the global pandemic has caused makes it very difficult to be definitive in relation to future dates at this time,” Brookhouse said.
“We will continue our positive ongoing discussions with our major stakeholders which include the Victorian Government, our corporate partners, the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia and other international tours about potential dates. However, it must be noted that there are many unknowns at the moment, which is problematic.”
The 105th edition of the Australian Open was to have been held in November, with multiple dates having been on the table. But Brookhouse said public health considerations had been the main reason behind making the decision to postpone.
“Then, when you consider the rescheduled major championships, particularly the Masters from 12-15 November, assembling the customary world-class field was also becoming increasingly difficult,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of whether or not we could co-ordinate any international stars to visit. The uncertainty of the quarantine requirements for any players coming from outside Australia needed to be considered. These requirements would undoubtedly have an impact on our homegrown heroes before they would be able to consider playing, too,” he said.
“With all that in mind, we would like to think we could still play the Australian Open this summer and will work with the host, Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club, to find a date suitable for all.
“However it may have to be in the January-March 2021 window with so many variables still to play out.”
The decision means the Australian All Abilities Championship, which features the top 12 players on the World Rankings for Golfers with a Disability, will also be delayed as the tournament is played as part of the Australian Open field.
Brookhouse said Golf Australia and its event partner, Sportfive, would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when any additional information is available.
Venues and events have not been detailed much by the World Golf Group proposing a star and team-driven tour, but as Evin Priest reports for the Australian Associated Press, a once prominent event that has struggled in recent years could be ripe for a takeover by “The League”.
If successful, It would be a massive boon for the Australian Open, which has struggled to attract golf's biggest stars in the past few years due to a year-long US PGA Tour schedule.
Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt told AAP: "We're aware of what is being proposed with this new league and that the Australian Open has been included in those plans. However, it is too early in the process to make any further comment."
Jon Rahm ended 2018 on a strong note by winning the Hero World Challenge and with the title, one of Tony Montana’s old bookends.
Kevin Casey’s Golfweek roundup.
View this post on InstagramCongrats to our 2018 #heroworldchallenge champion @jonrahm
A post shared by TGR Live | #HeroWorldChallenge (@tgrliveevents) on
Cameron Smith has set the stage for a big 2019 with another great week in his native Australia, this time winning the Australian PGA after a T10 at the Australian Open and runner-up finish at the World Cup of Golf with Marc Leishman, his competition at the Aus PGA. Tony Webeck reports for Golf Australia on a showdown of Australia’s two best players.
Kurt Kitayama might have trouble getting through airport security with looted security gate remnants from a displaced dictator’s palace. But hey, he’s the 2018 Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open winner so he doesn’t care, especially since it was his first win in just his third start. Alistair Tait with the details of the ex-UNLV golfer and his breakthrough week.
The event has a magnificent history and the PGA Tour is to be commended for efforts to revive what was once a grand title in the game: the World Cup of Golf. We debated all-time World Cup teams on Golf Central and it really was a wealth of riches, though Palmer-Nicklaus is tough to beat!
Jim McCabe with a nice retrospective on Metro’s grand golf tournament history that dates to the Sarazen era!
Rob Bolton breaks down this year’s field.
Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith headline the field for the Aussies. Maybe not the biggest names Australia can muster, but undoubtedly their best two players over the last year. Mark Hayes with their outlook.
Golf Channel coverage starts at 8 pm ET Wednesday to Saturday, with the first and third rounds played at four-ball, and the second and final rounds alternate shot. Tee times and other particulars.
A Google Earth flyover should remind you that some prime Sandbelt golf is on the way:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
