History will be made this week with the ISPS Handa Australian Open – the first time national open events for men and women will be played in conjunction. The men’s tournament is part of the DP World Tour with the women’s tournament on the WPGA Tour Australasia.
As well as 108 women and 156 men, the tournament will also feature 12 players competing in a mixed field in the Australian All Abilities Championship, which gives players with disabilities the chance to play competitively.
The women’s and men’s championships will take place simultaneously with the first two rounds taking place at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club – one of Australia’s best courses – and Victoria Golf Club in the Melbourne suburb of Cheltenham. Each round is set to be played in alternating men’s and women’s groups. Every player will compete in a round at each course over Thursday and Friday, before those who make the cut move to Victoria Golf Club for the final two rounds.
The Australian All Abilities Championship – whose star player is Kipp Popert – will also take place over the final three days of the tournament at Victoria Golf Club as it is incorporated into the ISPS Handa Australian Open.
The men’s competition will see World No.3 Cameron Smith take part in his second successive tournament in his homeland. Smith won last week’s Australian PGA Championship by three shots over compatriot Jason Scrivener to claim the title for the third time and he will be keen to take that form into this week.
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However, he will face stiff competition from two other players in the world’s top 50 – World No.27 Ryan Fox and World No.36 Adam Scott. Smith’s LIV Golf colleague Marc Leishman also participates, while other standout players include Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard and Pole Adrian Meronk.
There are also some world-class players in the women’s field, too. Home favourite, seven time Major winner Karrie Webb, plays as does her compatriot Hannah Green, who famously became the first woman to win a professional mixed gender event in February’s TPS Murray River.
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Another Australian, US Women’s Open champion Minjee Lee, also plays at the same time her younger brother, Min Woo Lee, competes in the men’s event. Jennifer Kupcho, who won this year’s Chevron Championship and AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai are also in the field.
The prize-money is identical for both the men’s and women’s…
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