[PHOTO: Getty Images]
Lucas Herbert and Cameron Smith have applauded the decision to return the men’s and women’s Australian Opens to their own individual events and the duo want it back in Melbourne for another attempt at Sandbelt glory.
Former Open champion Smith and his trio of Australian teammates on Ripper GC were pleased when tournament organiser Golf Australia last week scrapped the mixed Australian Open format after three years of logistical headaches.
Last year, Smith blasted a soft, slow Kingston heath setup at the Open in November while fellow star Hannah Green criticised the scheduling. Green, Minjee Lee and other Aussies on the LPGA Tour had to dash from their season finale Florida to Melbourne play their national championship. Because they arrived on a Wednesday they went without a practice round.
Herbert, who was in with a hot chance to win last year’s Open, played in the final group at Kingston Heath but faded as American Ryggs Johnston captured the Stonehaven Cup.
“I think it’s a great move that we’re now splitting the Australian Opens,” Herbert said at LIV Golf Adelaide, where Smith, Herbert, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones of Ripper GC are the defending champions of the teams title. “We obviously had a great winner in Ryggs. I don’t want to take anything away from him, but we would have loved to have seen an Australian Open venue play a little differently from what it was, and I think we’re a little handcuffed, as well, from having the women play with us.
“I think the ideal course setup for them and the ideal course setup for us is a little different, and I think it showcases their skills differently. I don’t think you should set up the courses the same way because it’s not fair to either gender. We’re [now] giving much more attention to the girls and much more attention to the guys if we’re going to have separate weeks to be able to showcase our great players. It’s always a scheduling issue for one of the genders. It’s either tough for the men or tough for the women to get back and play, so I do think splitting them up is ultimately going to be a great decision longer term for the Australian Open, and I think the event is really going to grow off the back of that.”
The Australian Open has not yet locked in a host city for 2025 because the Victorian government had a one-year deal for 2024. Smith, three times an Australian PGA champion but never a winner of the Stonehaven Cup, desperately wants an Open in his trophy cabinet. And he wants to win in on the Melbourne Sandbelt.
“I mean, because they [Melbourne] have some great golf courses that I think people want to play,” Smith said when asked why he wants the Open back on the Sandbelt. “Not only do we want to come down and play and obviously support our event, I think it lends itself to having a stronger field, having more guys come down here and play the Australian Open, and let it be the event that it once was. You look at the names on that trophy through the ’80s and ’90s, it’s incredible, and it seems like somewhere that got lost. I definitely want it to be the best event it can be and be the fifth major. It would be unbelievable.
“Yeah, we’ve got to start somewhere, and hopefully this is the starting point.”
