History beckons for Smith at dual-gender Open

1 year ago 73

The Australian Open has begun a caller section with the historical dual-gender tourney getting underway successful Victoria.

In what Golf Australia brag James Sutherland describes arsenic a "world first", the men's and women's Australian Open is being played concurrently.

A tract of 156 men and 108 women volition vie for $3.4 cardinal successful prizemoney, with men and women teeing disconnected successful alternate groups.

"It's thing that had been thought astir previously, but determination were plentifulness of obstacles to halt america doing it," Sutherland told Wide World of Sports.

"As acold arsenic I tin stitchery it's the archetypal clip successful the satellite a nationalist unfastened has been played with this benignant of format."

It's a determination that hasn't been met with cosmopolitan approval, with Scott Hend pulling retired of the tournament, saying helium believes the Australian Open is specified a prestigious tourney the men's and women's events should beryllium held separately.

Karrie Webb said she understood Hend's constituent of view, but noted tennis expansive slams featured some men and women.

The Australian Open is unrecorded connected Nine and 9Now from Thursday.

"We're making a determination that's innovative," Sutherland said.

"Scott evidently has a close to an opinion, but it's not arsenic if we've conscionable gone into this blindly.

"We're making decisions that we deliberation are successful the champion interests of play and the champion interests of the tournament.

"We deliberation this volition marque the tourney much appealing, and marque play much appealing arsenic a information sport."

The determination to marque the Australian Open a dual-gender lawsuit comes a decennary aft the Vic Open made a akin decision, 1 that has reinvigorated the tournament.

"The Vic Open has astir apt been Australia's champion tourney for the past 5-10 years, and that's the aforesaid format," 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy told Wide World of Sports.

"It's been a large success. Everybody who plays it, loves it. Everybody who goes to ticker it, loves it. You'd ideate this volition heighten the Australian Open."

COVID-19 played havoc with the Australian Open, with the men's lawsuit cancelled successful 2020 and 2021, and the women's lawsuit not held successful 2021. Sutherland wryly observed that each he'd done since joining Golf Australia was "cancel Australian Opens."

Cameron Smith volition person the accidental to marque past astatine the tournament, arsenic helium seeks to go the archetypal Australian to triumph the Open Championship and Australian Open successful the aforesaid year.

This year's lawsuit is being played astatine 2 courses, with the players to play 1 circular astatine each of Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath implicit the archetypal 2 days, with Victoria to big the weekend.

It's the archetypal clip since 2006 the men's Australian Open has been held extracurricular of Sydney.

"It's large conscionable to person the Australian Open backmost on, to beryllium honest. It's fantastic to person it connected the sandbelt," Ogilvy said.

"It's been successful Sydney for a truly agelong time, which is fine, but Melbourne has been starved of the Australian Open for a agelong time.

"Everyone's beauteous excited, and to person some men and women playing concurrent tournaments astatine the aforesaid venue, I can't ideate it being thing but great."

The 2019 Women's PGA champion, Hannah Green, told Wide World of Sports the women won't shy distant from being compared to the men, adjacent though they'll beryllium competing for antithetic trophies, and playing disconnected antithetic tees.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium great, it's historic," Green told Wide World of Sports.

"It's bully to beryllium backmost successful Melbourne, to person the men and women playing 2 truly bully courses connected the sandbelt, it's fantastic.

"I anticipation towards Sunday the scoring is beauteous adjacent betwixt the men's and women's championships."

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