Whereas {the golfing} world in Australia stays divided about Golf Australia internet hosting the nationwide Australian Open combining the boys’s and ladies’s competitions on the identical time, the Golf Australia administration believes that would be the format. Whereas world quantity 954 Ryggs Johnston gained the boys’s title and former world primary Jiyai Shin gained the ladies’s title taking part in on identical course circumstances inside hours of one another’s rounds on Sunday, it meant that women and men winners emerged on the identical day for the third time in row since 2022 within the event which has been performed since 1904 in males’s and 1974 in girls’s class.
With Golf Australia combining each the competitions collectively since 2022 resulting from financial viability, Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland, a former CEO of Cricket Australia, has termed the choice of separating the 2 occasions as not a easy one.
“There’s little doubt that a few of our male gamers aren’t terribly eager on the format however just like the date… on the flip facet, our feminine gamers don’t just like the date however just like the format. The apparent answer is to separate the 2 however it’s not so simple as that. Rebuilding it’s actually difficult as a result of golf doesn’t benefit from the rivers of gold that a number of the massive sports activities do when it comes to tv media rights so the income that comes into fund the sport has to return in from alternate sources. I don’t suppose that is an experiment. For those who suppose that is an experiment, you’re lacking the purpose from the place we have now come from since COVID. We needed to rebuild from just about nothing.” Sutherland advised SEN 1170 Mornings.
The event’s women and men editions didn’t occur in 202 and 2021 resulting from Covid-19. The event noticed the ladies golfers teeing off hours previous to males’s competitors on the identical course with identical pin positions. 2022 Open champion Cam Smith, when requested concerning the situation, was fast to acknowledge the difficulty. “I’ve requested that query (of event organisers) and but to listen to again – it’s a query that I’ve requested consecutively, about course arrange, and we’ve had some conversations with it and, and it was the identical once more this 12 months. I’m undecided of the explanation however I’ve requested loads of questions and haven’t acquired a solution again.” Smith had advised reporters final week.
Earlier, Smith had termed the rainfall in Melbourne as an excuse to the comfortable greens and course structure set simpler for ladies golfers to play. “The course(s) are in nice situation however taking part in is a lot completely different to how they’re designed and the way they’re meant to be performed, which is fairly disappointing.I’ve performed down right here in rain earlier than and it’s nonetheless like that the following day. So, I believe that’s a bulls*** excuse, to be sincere. I believe it’s been ready like this for a cause and it’s not how these golf programs are supposed to be performed.” Smith had advised the media earlier than the event.
Previous to 2020, the Australian Open Males’s event was performed within the final week of November whereas the Australian Open girls’s event was performed over the brand new 12 months week. Earlier this 12 months, 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott too had voiced his assist for 2 completely different codecs. “There’s a place for various codecs, however your nationwide Open will not be the place for that.” Scott had advised Golf Australia journal. Scott’s LUV golf team-mate Marc Leishman too had raised the difficulty of pin positions being the identical final week. “It’s been the identical the final three years. There’s in all probability quite a bit I can say, however I’m not going to say it.” Leishman had advised the media final week.
It additionally meant that gamers like world quantity Hanah Inexperienced missed an opportunity to observe forward of her first spherical after she arrived from the LPGA Season finale in Florida and wished the format to be modified. “It doesn’t work for the very best feminine gamers to return right down to Australia. If you’d like the very best of the very best to return and play for the trophy, sadly this isn’t the very best time of the 12 months,” Inexperienced had advised the media.