The DP World Tour’s Opening Swing remains in Australia and South Africa for the second week running as two national Opens take place in Sydney and Johannesburg respectively. Here are your five things to know.
Australia’s inclusive national Open heads to Sydney
The ISPS HANDA Australian Open has a new home for 2023 with two of Sydney’s finest courses to test men, women and all-abilities golfers.
The Australian and The Lakes golf clubs will host the joint tournament format, with the men’s field consisting of 156 players with 84 in the women’s field.
Only one cut will be made, after 36 holes, reducing the field to the top 60 professionals plus ties in the men’s Open and the top 32 professional plus ties making the cut in the women’s Open.
The Australian Golf Club will be the host venue across the four days with the The Lakes Golf Club co-hosting for the first two days of play.
Poland’s Adrian Meronk is the defending champion of the men’s event, while South Africa’s Major Champion Ashleigh Buhai is aiming to retain the Stonehaven Cup she won in Melbourne 12 months ago.
Meronk, who became the first man of Polish decent to win on the DP World Tour in 2022, won three times on last season’s Race to Dubai to earn dual membership on the PGA TOUR for next year by finishing as the leading player not already exempt on the PGA TOUR.
Lee siblings looking to shine on home soil
Among the headline acts in Australia will be Min Woo and Minjee Lee as they make it a family affair in their home country.
Last month, Min Woo won the Asian Tour’s Macau Open, a week before two-time women’s Major champion Minji captured the LPGAs BMW Championship in South Korea.
Days after landing his third DP World Tour title at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane, could their be a repeat of back-to-back success stories for the Lee siblings.
Since finishing third in last year’s ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club, the 25-year-old Min Woo's stock has grown globally.
He finished tenth on the Race to Dubai Rankings last year, registering five top tens in his 15 DP World Tour appearances, as he earned 2024 dual playing rights with the PGA TOUR.
Victory in Brisbane over the weekend was his second title in quick succession after he claimed his third win as a professional at the Macao Open on the Asian Tour in October.
A firm fan favourite, Lee is among a strong contingent of home stars competing in their national Open alongside Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Cam Davis, Marc Leishman and Cam Smith among others.
Q School winner Schott tees it up
Two weeks on from winning the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School at INFINITUM in Spain, Freddy Schott makes his first start of the new season in South Africa.
An eagle on the final hole of the marathon six-round Final Stage event in Spain saw the German earn a two-shot victory as 33 players earned their playing privileges on Golf’s Global Tour.
Schott finished 144th in the season-long Race to Dubai in partnership with Rolex Rankings in his rookie season on the DP World Tour after graduating from the European Challenge Tour in 2022.
The 22-year-old got off to a slow start last season, making just one cut – at last year’s edition of the Investec South African Open Championship – in his first 13 starts.
He found his feet with three top-15 finishes in a five-event stretch either side of the summer break last year before struggling for form in the closing weeks of the campaign as he missed out on finishing in the top 116.
But he quickly put that disappointment behind him with a fantastic performance at INFINITUM and will hope he can bring those good vibes with him to Johannesburg.
Three Open Championship spots up for grabs in Australia
The leading three players not already exempt who make the cut in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open will earn places in The 152nd Open at Royal Troon from 14-21 July.
The co-sanctioned DP World Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia event is the second in the Open Qualifying Series, which offers players opportunities around the world to qualify for golf’s original championship.
Last week, Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury earned their spots for the fourth and final Major Championship of next year in Scotland through the Joburg Open in South Africa.
2023/24 G4D Tour season begins
The G4D Tour was launched in 2022 as a partnership between the DP World Tour and EDGA, formerly the European Disabled Golf Association.
This week marks the start of its third season as the All Abilities Australian Championship (AAAC) takes place across three days from Thursday to Saturday at The Australian Golf Club.
The 54-hole championship features a 12-strong field, including five of the top six players on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).
They will be joined by the top four Australians on the WR4GD, headed by Lachlan Wood, who is contesting the AAAC for the first time.
Australia’s Special Olympics World Games gold medallist Natascha Tennent and two-time AAC champion Johan Kammerstad from Sweden are the two invitees in the field, regarded as the best assembled in the event’s history.
England’s Kipp Popert is the defending champion after a seven-shot win at Victoria Golf Club last year.
