'Ridiculous experiment' that 'butchered' Australian golf Open to be scrapped for 2025
The Australian Open will revert to holding separate tournaments for men and women after three years as a combined event.
In a statement, Golf Australia confirmed the switch will be made from 2025, with the men's expected to retain the traditional slot in late-November or early December, with the women's to revert to its previous March slot, but not until 2026.
The move comes after several players, men and women, had been critical of the format, including former World No.1 Cameron Smith.
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Speaking during last year's tournament held between Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs, Smith blasted the condition of the course, which played surprisingly slow and soft.
Organisers blamed rain in the lead-up to the tournament, but Smith dismissed the explanation, labelling it a "bullshit excuse", suggesting the course had been set up that way to make the course easier for the women.
Simon Seungmin Lee (All Abilities Champion), Ryggs Johnston and Jiyai Shin won the Australian Open last year. Getty
"I've played down here at Kingston Heath in an Aussie Masters ... where I was allowing 25-30 metres of run out with a pitching wedge which is a lot," Smith said at the time.
"Usually around the world you're trying to take spin off, make sure it doesn't spin back too much. I think when you get a place like this, where it's meant to play like that, you have to create spin and create shots to get close to pins which is what everyone really loves.
"The weather down here the last couple of weeks has been pretty good, I know they got some rain over the weekend and again this morning, but I've played down here in rain before and it's still been like that the next day.
"So, I think that's a bullshit excuse, to be honest. I think it's been prepared like this for a reason and it's not how these golf courses are meant to be played."
Cameron Smith was critical of the mixed-gender format. Getty
The tournaments, as well as the All-Abilities championship, were held concurrently since 2022 over concerns of the viability of having a stand-alone women's tournament following the pandemic.
Players in both tournaments played the same course in alternating groups, and from different tees. Such big fields meant the opening two rounds were played on separate, but nearby courses, before converging on one course for the weekend following the cut.
Former world No.51 Marcus Fraser said separating the tournaments was the correct decision, but it would take time before the biggest names in world golf start to return to Australia.
"I think everyone is going to be over the moon," Fraser told the ABC on Saturday.
"It [changing the format] is probably something that they had to go and try but, to do it with an Australian Open was ridiculous.
"Unfortunately, they've butchered that event and they've got a long road to get it back to where it should be.
"There's a lot of damage been done to that tournament, it's a bit of a laughing stock.
"It's frustrating that they used it as an experiment."
In a statement, Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the decision was made during the event's annual review, and he was "confident that both national open championships will stand on their own two feet and prosper in their own right".
"We are proud of what has been achieved over the past three years with mixed-gender Australian Opens, together with the All-Abilities championship," he said.
"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.
"This move aligns to our strategy and will allow flexibility to better adapt to the ever-changing landscape in world golf.
"We look forward to continuing productive conversations with key partners and stakeholders around the location and other key aspects of upcoming national opens."
The venue for the 2025 event has not yet been announced, but is expected to remain on the Victorian sandbelt.
