Australian Open to tee off in Melbourne after stormy buildup

MELBOURNE : Joaquin Niemann and Ashleigh Buhai will defend their titles at the dual gender Australian Open in Melbourne from Thursday amid disappointment over the playing conditions and concerns over the scheduling of the women's event.

The sprawling event, which features separate men's and women's trophies, tees off at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club on Melbourne's renowned Sandbelt after a bout of wet and wild weather.

Sandbelt courses are generally hard and fast, putting a premium on strategy and tactics, but players were adjusting to very different conditions at the pro-am event at Kingston Heath on Wednesday.

Former world number two Cameron Smith said the rain was no excuse for the soft conditions he encountered and blamed organisers.

"I think it's just been prepared like this for a reason and it's not how these golf courses are meant to be played," the Australian told reporters.

"It's going to be play more like an American golf course - kind of target golf. You can land it at the pin and just kind of fire away, which is again, not the reason we like golf down here."

Governing body Golf Australia declined to comment.

Though offering equal prize money of A$1.7 million ($1.10 million) for the men and women, the mixed format has had its detractors since its first edition in 2022 following a dark two years for the local golf tour due to COVID-19.

Critics say the combined event diminishes both the men's and women's tournaments which had built their own history and identities over decades apart.

"I really believe both events would be better if they were standalone events," Australian PGA Chairman Ian Baker-Finch told a local golf podcast.

'LOT OF HISTORY'

Before COVID, the women's Australian Open was a fixture on the LPGA Tour