Golf Australia announces the axing of joint men’s and women’s Australian Open in the wake of blistering male player criticism
Golf Australia has axed the contentious mixed format Australian Open in the wake of blistering criticism led by Australia’s most recent major champion, Cameron Smith.
Golf Australia has scrapped its contentious decision for men and women to play alongside each other in the Australian Open after blistering criticism from the likes of superstar Cameron Smith.
News Corp can reveal the historic events will revert to separate men’s and women’s tournaments amid increasing pressure from homegrown stars, who vented their frustration with the format.
In a world first for a national Open, GA brought the men and women under the one umbrella to play separate tournaments in the same week three years ago as it emerged from its Covid slumber.
But GA has already begun discussions to lure some of the world’s best men’s players for the historic event – won by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy – on the premise they will be playing a stand-alone tournament.
GA chief executive James Sutherland travelled to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia this week for the opening event of the LIV Golf league season to spruik the new Australian Open, which he wants to reinvigorate in 2025.
“Following our annual event review, which included discussions with key stakeholders, Golf Australia has made the decision to separate the Australian Open men’s and women’s tournaments,” Sutherland said.
“We are proud of what has been achieved over the past three years with mixed-gender Australian Opens, together with the All-Abilities Championship. With record crowds and broadcast audiences there is a lot to be pleased about.
“Our long-term event strategy is to build the profile of our tournaments and to showcase the game at the highest level.”
The tournament was held on the Melbourne sandbelt in 2024 at Kingston Heath and Victoria golf clubs under a 12-month contract.
The Victorian government is yet to trigger an option to keep the Australian Open in Melbourne.
According to sources familiar with the talks, multiple states outside Victoria have expressed an interest in hosting a revitalised Australian Open, while the prospect of the women’s event heading to Western Australia remains an option with stars Minjee Lee and Hannah Green hailing from Perth.
In a media roundtable on the final day of last year’s Australian Open, Sutherland said concerns about the financial viability of the women’s tournament – which he said was losing up to $1 million per year on its own – forced GA to think outside the box in 2022.
Men and women have both played for equal purses of $1.7 million in the same week, with GA trumpeting strong crowd figures and television ratings in the last two years.
Patrons have been able to switch between watching Smith and Lee, for example, on course at any given time, but trying to cover two tournaments at once has proved a challenge for broadcasters.
The late November-early December date was problematic for the top women’s stars such as Lee, Green and Grace Kim, who arrived in Melbourne with severe jet lag only 24 hours before their first round tee time last year.
They had been playing in the LPGA Tour’s season-ending event in Florida just days before the Australian Open.
Men’s players such as Smith had criticised the course set-up, which needed to cater for both genders, and the logistical nightmare of trying to squeeze so many golfers onto two courses for the opening two rounds.
All players who made the cut played at the one venue on the weekend.
Australia’s only US Masters winner Adam Scott skipped last year’s tournament after a gruelling season, but also said in an interview with Golf Australia magazine said: “There is a place for different formats, but your national Open is not the place for that.”
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley sparked a debate last year when he said the Australian Open winner should be given an exemption into all four men’s majors given the history of the Stonehaven Cup.
Speaking in the lead-up to the new LIV season and next week’s Adelaide staging, Smith’s Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert voiced his approval of the men’s and women’s events being split.
“I would suggest some of the financial issues might be alleviated by having stand-alone events and giving them an opportunity to thrive,” Herbert said.
“I know there’s a lot of players around the world who would love to play a stand-alone Australian Open all at the same course. The golf course needs to be set up separately. You want a different test of golf for men and the women. I don’t think it’s fair to one of the sexes, and I don’t think you find the best winner.
“It’s a shared opinion by pretty much everyone we need to do an event that is a stand-alone.”
The men’s Australian Open is likely to stay in its early summer window – potentially played a week later on the schedule – while the women’s tournament could shift to a date adjacent to the Ladies European Tour’s Australian swing in March as early as next year.
On the stand-alone events, Sutherland said: “This move aligns to our strategy and will allow flexibility to better adapt to the ever-changing landscape in world golf.
“With all that in mind, we believe this is the right time and we are confident that both national open championships will stand on their own two feet and prosper in their own right.
“We look forward to continuing productive conversations with key partners and stakeholders around the location and other key aspects of upcoming national opens.”
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