Golf stars Cameron Smith and Adam Scott consider the Australian Open has regained its standing as a prestigious event after returning to its conventional format at Royal Melbourne this week.
The main Australian pair be a part of five-time main winner Rory McIlroy in headlining the occasion, which begins on Thursday.
Smith, specifically, had been extremely important of Australian golf’s showpiece, which for the previous three years had been a dual-gender event, final 12 months describing the tender course set-up as “bullshit”.
Former world No.1 Scott opted to sit down out final 12 months’s Open for the primary time since 2018, citing tiredness, however he was additionally sad with the format and construction.
Whereas Golf Australia (GA) claimed it made essentially the most sense commercially, the ladies, together with top-ranked native Minjee Lee, additionally did not profit, arriving jet-lagged after the LPGA season-ending occasion in America and enjoying in a decreased subject.
Former British Open champion Smith stated he had spoken with GA boss James Sutherland about reverting to the standard format, and was happy with the end result.
“There was plenty of back-and-forth all through the final couple of years, and I feel everybody’s fairly pleased with the consequence,” stated the LIV Golf ace, who has struggled for type this 12 months.
“Everybody’s speaking concerning the Aussie Open once more, which is what we needed.
“We needed it again at Royal Melbourne and we needed it to be an occasion the place worldwide stars come down and compete and make it the occasion that it as soon as was, so I feel we’re heading in the right direction.”
Smith is but to win the Australian Open, however has declared it second solely to the Masters as his must-win occasions.
“It is a event that I desperately need to win, and then you definitely get the course vibe with it as properly,” he stated.
“It might be a fairly particular factor to win an Aussie Open round Royal Melbourne for certain.”
Scott stated the event, which additionally presents the winner a Masters invite and the highest three British Open begins, had been a speaking level amongst gamers this 12 months.
“It in all probability is extra interesting, actually for worldwide gamers, to come back all the way down to play,” he stated.
“Clearly Rory is on board and he is coming off the again of an unimaginable 12 months, in order that’s very well timed for the occasion, and coming to this venue is creating plenty of hype as properly.
“Actually outdoors Australia, it has been a speaking level on tour many of the 12 months, and you may see some gamers who’ve clearly requested for invitations and are coming all the way down to play.
“You need to give Golf Australia credit score for doing what they will with the occasion and doing one thing completely different, but additionally I give them credit score for pivoting and making this massive transfer and making an enormous effort to get one of many biggest gamers of this technology, if not the best, down right here.
“Hopefully it is a signal of issues to come back to the Aussie Open and residing as much as the historical past that it already has.”
Scott claimed the 2009 Open at NSW Golf Membership, however says profitable the nationwide title at Royal Melbourne, which final hosted the event in 1991, could be a “feather within the cap” for any golfer.
“I feel profitable the Aussie Open at Royal Melbourne has a type of asterisks subsequent to it, the place it is simply that little bit extra significant,” stated the 45-year-old, who completed seventh eventually week’s PGA Championship in Brisbane.
“Simply the actual fact we have not performed a nationwide open right here since 1991 goes to make this a very particular one for each Aussie golfer, however I feel additionally for anybody who’s right here, in the event that they had been to win it, it is form of a feather within the cap. It is one thing to be extremely happy with.”
