2023 ISPS HANDA Australian Open: Everything You Need to know About its Unique Format

The PGA Tour Australasia saw the Australian PGA Championship end last week by crowning Min Woo Lee as the winner. And now, the ISPS HANDA Australian Open is all set to begin in the Land Down Under. The event will start this week on November 30th, and like all tour events, it ends on Sunday, December 3rd.

The Open has confirmed notable players, both men and women, like Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, the latest winner Min Woo Lee, Ashleigh Buhai, Jenny Shin, and many others. The four days of the event will be filled with thrills and excitement from both players and fans, as the event has various premium facilities.

The challenging 240-player field at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open

The ISPS HANDA Australian Open will be a mixed event with men and women, amateurs and professionals, playing simultaneously. Moreover, this is the second edition where the Australian All Abilities Championship (AAAC), for golfers from the World Ranking of Golfers with Disabilities, will be held in conjunction with both Opens.

The 240 golfers, men and women, will tee it up at The Australian GC and The Lakes Golf Club. The 156 men’s field will see a cut after 36 holes, and the top 60 and ties will move forward. The leading 32 and tied 56 golfers will move on to the final rounds of the women’s open.

The AAAC will start the 12-player 54-hole event on Friday, December 1st, and the final round will conclude the next day. All the players making the cut at the Open will receive part of the prize money. The 240 players will play in a normal stroke-play format.

The groups of men and women will alternate between the two courses for the first two rounds. However, rounds three and four will be solely represented on the Australian GC. The Australian course was redesigned by legendary golfer and 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.

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The golf course has previously hosted the Open 21 times, the latest being in 2019. However, the women’s open is making a return to Sydney after 2007 and is being held for the second time in conjunction with the AAAC and the men’s open.

The difference award for the men’s and women’s open

The WPGA Tour of Australasia will sanction the women’s open and present the winner with the Patricia Brdiges Bowl. The men’s open, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, will award the Stonehaven Cup to the winner. The prize money for each event is AU$1.7 million (approximately $1.12 million), totaling $3.4 million. The event will start on November 30th and end on December 3rd.

With the event returning to Sydney, it will witness last year’s open champions Adrion Meronk and Ashleigh Buhai coming to defend their titles. Moreover, LPGA Tour rookie Lucy Li and Australian golfer Minjee Lee will be on the greens of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

The men’s Open will have Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, 2019 Australian Open winner Adam Scott, and 2017 champion Cameron Davis, to name a few. Like last year, the event will be broadcast by The Golf Channel, although the schedule has not been confirmed. For the latest updates on the Open, stay tuned.

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