Two past winners including the defending men’s champion have added their names to the high quality field for the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Melbourne this December.
All-time great Australian golfer and Major champion Geoff Ogilvy, winner of the 2010 Open at The Lakes in Sydney, and Matt Jones, the 2015 and 2019 national champion, have confirmed they will tee it up at the 2022 Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club from December 1-4.
“This will be my first time defending an Australian Open; after I won at The Australian Golf Club in 2015 I couldn’t return home the following year to defend, and then obviously there hasn’t been an Australian Open since I won in ’19 so this is special for me,” Jones told Australian Golf Digest over the phone on Thursday. “It’s been three years since I’ve been home to Australia, so I’m looking forward to coming down and playing in our national championship.”
In a twist, Jones revealed he had never played tournament golf in Melbourne as a professional, having plied his trade in the US since the mid 2000s. But Jones said it would be worth the wait for one of his favourite courses in the world – Kingston Heath, which will be played by the men and women over the first two rounds before Victoria GC hosts the weekend play.
“Getting to play those courses is something every pro golfer looks forward to, even if you aren’t Australian,” Jones said. “Kingston heath is one of the best courses in the world … if people consider Royal Melbourne No.1, then Kingston Heath is No.1a.”
Ogilvy and Jones join world No.3 and 2022 Open champion Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Davis, Kiwi Ryan Fox, World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb and another Major winner in Hannah Green among the first handful of players to commit to the event in Melbourne, with more announcements to follow over the next few weeks.
Jones and Ogilvy will be taking part in an historic edition of the Australian Open – the men’s, women’s and All Abilities events will be competing with equal billing throughout the week, on the same courses at the same time. It is the first time that a national Open anywhere in the world has featured men and women concurrently.
“It’s going to be a first for a major tournament like the Australian Open to have great women and men players in the same national open,” Jones said. “Hopefully, crowds come out to celebrate some of the best men and women golfers from around the world on the Sandbelt.”
Jones, 42, has won two Australian Opens, a feat managed by only a handful of men over the history of an event that dates to 1904.
Both triumphs came at his beloved second home at The Australian GC, where he played much of his early golf in Sydney before heading off as a young man to college in the United States, then turning professional.
He won the 2015 Open a shot ahead of Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, then again in 2019 narrowly beating Louis Oosthuizen, before COVID-enforced cancellations meant that he could not return to defend his title. Until now, that is.
Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the Australian Open promised to be a major highlight for golf fans in 2022.
“It’s been almost three years since the Open was played because of the pandemic, and we all know how tough that’s been. I’m confident that with the new format of the Open, the incredibly good quality of the venues being world class golf courses, and the genuine brilliance of players like Cameron Smith, Cameron Davis, Hannah Green, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Geoff Ogilvy and others who we’ll announce in good time, this is going to be something very special.”
Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion and a winner of tournaments all around the world, has returned home to live in Australia and grew up playing much of his early golf at Victoria Golf Club, where he is a member.
“I’m excited to play an Australian Open again,” he said. “Especially to have the chance to play at my home course, and at Kingston Heath as well, that’s an opportunity I’m not going to miss.”
The 2022 Australian Open is a tournament in three parts, with the men’s event co-sanctioned by the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia and the DP World Tour, the women’s event featuring some of the world’s top stars and sanctioned by the WPGA Tour, and the Australian All Abilities Championship for golfers with a disability featuring 12 of the best in the world.
Golf Australia has made the changes to the format to promote golf as an inclusive and fun activity and to enhance interest in the event after two years of absence caused by the pandemic and travel restrictions.
The first two days of competition will be played at both Victoria and Kingston Heath while the final two days are at Victoria only.
Both courses are ranked among the best in the world.
The ISPS Handa Australian Open from December 1-4 is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria. Tickets, Hospitality and VIP Experiences are on sale via Ticketek now.
