The Australian Open takes centre stage this week with some of Australia’s biggest names including Cameron Smith, Hannah Green, Minjee and Min Woo Lee as well as defending men’s champion, LIV Golf star, Joaquin Niemann descending on Melbourne.

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The national open is in its third year of its mixed gender format which involves the men, women and All Abilities on the same course, at the same time but in separate groups and from different tees.

Kingston Heath and Victoria golf clubs will play host as they did in 2022 when the new format made its debut, but this time around Kingston Heath will host the weekend action.

The field plays a round at each course on Thursday and Friday before the cut is made and the championships are decided on Saturday and Sunday at the venue which will host the 2028 Presidents Cup.

The format has received mixed reviews since it was introduced with 1991 British Open champion and renowned broadcaster Ian Baker-Finch saying that his national open is “diminished” by not having standalone men’s and women’s tournaments.

“I would rather see the Men’s Open and the Women’s Open,” Baker-Finch said on the Talk Birdie To Me podcast.

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“I think both events are diminished a little bit by holding them together, that’s just my personal opinion because I’d love to see all of the best players in the world on the women’s circuit come and play when they came in their schedule around February, March and hold the Australian Women’s Open with the best field in the world.

“It’s hard to get all of the best women home when this week is the end of the LPGA Tour in America. They have to hightail it back after they’ve played, they get here Tuesday night, they’ve got to play two courses to get ready for next week, and God bless them for coming back because it’s hard work.”

There have been teething problems in recent years with the mixed format.

The second cut was abandoned after the first edition following widespread criticism of Cameron Smith – who slammed the course condition on Wednesday – being knocked out of the tournament after Saturday’s third round and Sunday patrons and viewers missed out on watching that year’s British Open champion.

The two-tee start on the weekend also presented the unusual scenario of Adam Scott jumping to the top of the leaderboard in the final round when he was playing the front nine as his second nine.

“The format isn’t ideal for the men or the women,” Scott, who is absent from this year’s tournament following a busy workload in the United States and Europe, said.

“And the two-cut thing didn’t work. You could have been 32nd on Sunday and not even playing in your national Open. I don’t care if you are Cam Smith – who actually missed it a couple of years ago – or a 16-year-old hotshot in his first Aussie Open.

“You don’t want to be sitting out on Sunday. I would have been gutted if that was me. Overall though, there is a place for different formats, but your national Open is not the place for that.”

While several in the women’s field yearn for the days when WPGA Tour of Australasia co-sanctioned the standalone Women’s Australian Open with the LPGA – as it was from 2012 to 2020, before that it was co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.

But despite some grumbles from the likes of Baker-Finch and Scott, most of the current crop of players are enjoying the new format.

Six-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion Danielle Kang is one of the international raiders this week who came down to Australia enticed by the opportunity to share the golf course with the men.

“I’m incredibly excited for the double format because it’s all I’ve wanted to play for years,” the 32-year-old said.

“I grew up playing with the boys a lot because a lot of guys play golf when they grow up when they’re young and a lot of girls aren’t into it yet. But it’s fun.

“I mean people always debate about whether we could play from the same tees, but it’s just a different game. They could create spins and heights and sounds that I could never create, but there’s different finesse to the golf game and golf is played in a different way.

“When (one of the male professionals) hits the ball, I know the sound and you just kind of look. It’s the equivalent to a hot girl walking by you can’t stop yourself, right?

“So, the shots that they’re able to hit are shots that I can’t create and that comes with speed and power.

“Same thing with how they might see the way how accurate our golf ball can be, but different aspirations in different parts of the game.

“I always call it like chess. You can change into chess board, but the boy’s going to be played. It’s different and I am really excited to just kind of compete with them and play in the same tournament.”

The mixed format is akin to the Australian Open tennis where the men’s and women’s competitions run at the same time on the same courts.

Last weekend Elvis Smylie announced himself to the Australian sporting public by winning the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane, but the Smylie name has already been a prominent one.

His mother Liz was a top 20 tennis player in the world and won three grand slam mixed doubles titles during her career, so Smylie is well versed on men and women sharing the same stage.

“Very rarely you have the privilege to be able to play alongside the women in the same field, same golf course,” the 23-year-old said.

“You’ve got the likes of Min Woo, Minjee Lee competing against each other on the same course. Hannah Green. Very rarely do you get that opportunity for the best Australian men’s golfers and the best Australian women’s golfers to come here on the Sandbelt and compete.

“I think it’s great for Australian golf, it’s great for the public to be able to watch that and I’m really looking forward to competing against all those guys this week.”

The other aspect of the format is the inclusion of the All Abilities golfers which will take place for the third consecutive year.

Twelve of the world’s best, including eight of the top ten in the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability, will compete at Kingston Heath from Thursday to Saturday over three rounds.

The DP World Tour has included All Abilities golfers at marquee events this year including the Tour Championship in Dubai earlier this month as well as the BMW PGA Championship at the famed Wentworth in England.

Australia’s newest PGA Tour player Karl Vilips was full of praise for having the likes of Steven ‘Spud’ Alderson – who went viral with a moving winner’s speech in Spain in October – on the same course at the same time.

“This newly introduced format, I think, is cool with the All Abilities as well just to see how they persevered through what they’ve been through,” Vilips said.

“Then to tee it up alongside such great females is awesome.

“To see them playing the same courses that we do, I think it’s going to be cool to watch.”

HOW TO WATCH

Watch all the Australian Open action on Kayo and Foxtel, with every big moment broadcast on Fox Sports channel 503 – which has become a dedicated Australian Open channel for the week.

Coverage begins at 12pm AEDT each day.

MARQUEE RD 1 TEE TIMES

7:00am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Elvis Smylie, Cameron Smith, Victor Perez

7:11am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Steph Kyriacou, Minjee Lee, Jiyai Shin

7:22am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Yannik Paul

7.44am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Todd Clements, Cameron Davis, Harry Higgs

12:05pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Min Woo Lee, Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Smith

12:16pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Grace Kim, Ashleigh Buhai, Hannah Green

12:27pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Darius van Diel, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, David Micheluzzi

12:38pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Jenny Shin, Kelsey Bennett, Danielle Kang

For the full list of tee times, click here!

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THE ODDS – WINNERS (as of 10am Wednesday via TAB)

Men’s

Joaquin Niemnann – $6.50

Cameron Smith – $6.50

Min Woo Lee – $8

Marc Leishman – $11

Cam Davis – $12

Lucas Herbert – $13

Jordan Smith – $19

David Micheluzzi – $19

Victor Perez – $21

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen – $23

Women’s

Minjee Lee – $4

Hannah Green – $4

Jiyai Shin – $7

Grace Kim – $8

Ashleigh Buhai – $10

Steph Kyriacou – $11

Jenny Shin – $12

Cassie Porter – $21

Danielle Kang – $21

Momoka Kobori – $26

PAST WINNERS

Men’s

2023 – Jaoquin Niemann (-14, playoff)

2022 – Adrian Meronk (-14)

2021 – Not played

2020 – Not played

2019 – Matt Jones (-15)

2018 – Abraham Ancer (-16)

2017 – Cam Davis (-11)

2016 – Jordan Spieth (-12, playoff)

2015 – Matt Jones (-8)

2014 – Jordan Spieth (-13)

2013 – Rory McIlroy (-18)

2012 – Peter Senior (-4)

2011 – Greg Chalmers (-13)

2010 – Geoff Ogilvy (-19)

Women’s

2023 – Ashleigh Buhai (-9)

2022 – Ashleigh Buhai (-12)

2021 – Not played

2020 – Inbee Park (-14)

2019 – Nelly Korda (-17)

2018 – Ko Jin-young (-14)

2017 – Jang Ha-na (-10)

2016 – Haru Nomura (-16)

2015 – Lydia Ko (-9)

2014 – Karrie Webb (-12)

2013 – Jiyai Shin (-18)

2012 – Jessica Korda (-3)

2011 – Yani Tseng (-16)

2010 – Yani Tseng (-9)