Olympian denies 'sexist elitist' tag after Open snub

2 years ago 105

Olympian Scott Hend has reaffirmed his plans to miss adjacent month's historical dual-gender Australian Open due to the fact that of the caller format.

The 49-year-old, who represented Australia astatine the Rio Olympics successful 2016, has returned location for the archetypal clip successful 3 years and volition play successful this week's Queensland PGA astatine Nudgee and adjacent week's Australian PGA astatine Royal Queensland.

However, Hend has decided to skip the pursuing week's Australian Open astatine the Victoria and Kingston Heath clubs due to the fact that of the mixed field, declaring that men and women should beryllium playing separately.

The historical event volition spot women play alongside men, albeit successful abstracted fields, for adjacent prizemoney of $1.7 million.

"I've already been called a 'sexist elitist', which I'm not," Hend said.

"My nonstop words were I judge the Australian Open is specified a prestigious event, the women and the men merit their ain week for the event.

"It's thing astir being against women playing golf, it's thing astir prizemoney being precisely the aforesaid … it's conscionable astir the lawsuit having the past of however agelong the lawsuit (has been going for, that) some men and women should person their ain week to shine.

"That's each I've said, and that's what I firmly judge in. So that being the case, I haven't entered to play, I'm not going to effort to pre-qualify … due to the fact that I inactive judge that some men and women should person their ain week to basal retired and radiance by themselves, not together, erstwhile radical are going to comparison them against each different successful the 1 tournament.

"That's not what the Australian Open is each about."

As for his instrumentality to Nudgee Golf Club, Hend said it volition beryllium surreal to instrumentality aft hitting the ceremonial archetypal tee changeable erstwhile the people was nether operation successful January 2020.

"It's been 3 years since I've been here, truthful it's truly bully to travel back," Hend added. "I've already had a Red Rooster rotation and an iced coffee, truthful I conscionable request a nutrient pastry and a sausage rotation and possibly a custard portion and we'll beryllium bully to go.

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate home-ground advantage. There mightiness beryllium vantage to maine feeling truthful blessed that I'm really back, but home-ground vantage has disappeared good and truly.

"I'm learning the play people from scratch. A batch of guys person got a large commencement connected maine from playing present a fewer times, truthful we'll conscionable spot what happens.

"A fewer of the boys are telling maine however pugnacious it played past twelvemonth and I'm going to instrumentality a fewer other balls for my signifier round."

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