Melbourne may sell itself as the Home of Golf in this country, but Sydney can probably lay claim to being the Home of the Australian Open after it was confirmed that the Open would go ahead this year – in Sydney.
The Australian Golf Club, which has hosted Australia’s major event an amazing 21 times, also hosted the first Australian Open in 1904.
Now the club will roll out the red carpet for some of the best golfers in the world – mostly Australians – as it prepares to host the Stonehaven Cup – one of the oldest golf trophies in the world which, at one stage, was regarded as the fifth major championship in world golf.
Players like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and other greats made it an annual pilgrimage to head Down Under for our Open.
Australian Open defending champion Matt Jones shows off the Stonehaven Trophy he won in 2019.
Photo courtesy Golf Australia.
Now they’ll be hoping to attract a few more big guns for a course that was redesigned by Nicklaus in 1976, thanks to tremendous input from the late media mogul Kerry Packer, who wanted the layout overhauled to suit television coverage.
In the years that followed, The Australian hosted Australian Opens in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019 and it has been allotted our biggest golf event again for 2021 and 2023.
This year’s Open will be played from November 25-28.
It is the week before the Australian PGA Championships at Royal Queensland, giving the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia a two-week block of world-class golf.
Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland was excited to announce the 105th edition of the national championship would be played in Sydney after a year’s hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Open has been a focal point of the Australian summer for decades and we’re extremely pleased to bring it back,” Sutherland said.
“It was tough for all involved to miss out last year, particularly for players without their national championship on offer and for fans who simply want to see the best golf has to offer.
“So we’re thrilled to have the support of our stakeholders to be able to bring the championship to life once more, particularly at The Australian for a record 22nd time.”
The Open’s 2020 edition was originally scheduled to be played at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath, then postponed from November to February this year, but later cancelled because of the pandemic.
It was the first time the event – the world’s fifth oldest professional tournament – had not been staged outside the two World Wars, having first been held in 1904.
The 2021 winner will receive a minimum of 32 Official World Golf Ranking points.
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