First played in 1904, The ISPS Handa Australian Open, once dubbed golf’s ‘fifth Major’ by Jack Nicklaus, is one of the oldest and most coveted events on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The event is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour which moves south from Brisbane for the second stop of its ‘Opening Swing’.
Last time around, Chilean Joaquin Niemann edged out Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in a playoff to capture a first DP World Tour title. The Torque GC captain, who narrowly missed out on LIV’s 2024 Individual Championship to Jon Rahm, returns Down Under to defend against host of his breakaway tour colleagues and homegrown Australian talent.
Former winners of the Australian National Open include Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player.
Kingston Heath Golf Club in the famous Melbourne sandbelt, returns as host venue the men’s ISPS Handa Australian Open for a eighth time, and a first since 2000 when Aaron Baddeley won his second national title.
The par 72, 7,259-yard track is recognised as one of the World’s premier courses and will host the Presidents Cup in 2028.
Australia’s finest will tee it up in a bid to add the prestigious national title to their resume. Cam Davis, Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishsman, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee, Cam Smith, and last week’s Australian PGA Championship winner – Elvis Smylie, all take their place in a Aussie-dominated field. Joaquin Niemann headlines the international cohort, alongside three time DP World Tour winner Victor Perez of France.
The full field can be found here.
Selected odds: TBC
The winner in Melbourne is set to receive $178,000 from the $1,100,00 prize fund. The tournament also offers 3,000 Race to Dubai, and 1,000 Ryder Cup Points.
US viewers can watch the action unfold on The Golf Channel.
All times EST:
Wednesday, November 27: The Golf Channel, 20.00
Thursday, November 28: The Golf Channel, 20.00
Friday, November 29: The Golf Channel, 22.00
Saturday, November 30: The Golf Channel, 21.00
Tee times and groupings can be found here once released.
Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer
Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.
Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.
He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.