Australian Open - Tournament Preview
The Australian golfing summer moves to Melbourne’s famous Sandbelt. As with all tracks on the sandbelt, the courses are like a hybrid between parkland and links golf, with fast-running turf, tight-cut greenside bunkering, and undulating, firm greens. Touch and putting are the keys to success. A warm weekend might firm up the fairways and greens to add a little bit more spice to the mix. In a slight change to the usual Australian Open format, both courses will be used over the first two rounds, with the final two rounds played exclusively at Victoria
Date: 1-4 December, 2022
Course: Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia
Length: Kingston Heath: 6,646 meters, Victoria: 6,227 meters
Par: Kingston Heath 72, Victoria 70
Greens: Bent
Defending Champion: Matt Jones
Key Course Stats
- Scrambling
- Strokes Gained: Around The Green
- Sand Saves
- GIR
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Putting Average
- Bogey Avoidance
Key Correlation Tournaments
- Open Championship
- Alfred Dunhill Links
- Scottish Open
Our Thoughts
Min Woo Lee: His wins have been in the Victorian PGA and the Scottish Open and you won’t find a better guide than those two wins. He is a bomber but also leads the DP World Tour in Strokes Gained: Around The Green and Putting Average.
Ryan Fox: Forget the missed cut last week - he was killed by jetlag. He ranks 2nd in Putting Average, 4th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 17th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green. Won the Alfred Dunhill Links.
Lucas Herbert: Australian with three quality wins the last three years. Ranks 7th in Sand saves and 16th in Putting Average. Finished T-15 in the Open Championship this year.
Todd Sinnott: Underrated Aussie who plies his trade on the Asian Tour. Ranks 3rd in Putting Average, 3rd in Sand Saves and 5th in Scrambling on that Tour. Chance at a big price.
Greg Chalmers: Two-time winner of the Australian Open who was absolutely outstanding finishing T-7 at the Australian PGA last week. Has a great record on the Melbourne sandbelt.