2022 AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Tee times, format, how is this all going to work?
The Australian Open is back on the golf calendar for the first time since 2019 and a logistical nightmare for tournament organizers.
The 2022 ISPS HANDA Australian Open tees off on Thursday, December 1 in Melbourne.
Specifically, the first tee shot will be hit on Thursday morning on two different courses – Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club. And to be more specific there isn’t just one tournament being played across the four days, there are three – the Men’s Australian Open, the Women’s Australian Open, and the All-Abilities Championship.
In total there will be 288 golfers competing, including 156 in the men’s tournament, 108 in the women’s Australian Open, and 12 golfers in the All-Abilities event.
Not to mention ferrying the crowds, players, and media across both courses, it sounds like a logistical nightmare.
ROUND 1 MARQUEE GROUPS, Thursday, December 1, 2022
@Kingston Heath
7:00 am -10th Hannah Green, Xiyu Lin (PRC), Jiyai Shin (Korea)
7:11 am -10th Adam Scott, Cameron Davis, Harrison Crowe (amateur)
7:22am -10th Gabriela Ruffels, Marina Alex (US), Grace Kim
7:33am -10th Jason Scrivener, Lucas Herbert, Ryo Hisatsune (Japan)
@Victoria Golf Club
2:05 pm Cameron Smith, Adrian Meronk (Pol), Matt Jones
12:16 pm Minjee Lee, Jennifer Kupcho (US), Stephanie Kyriacou
12:27pm Rasmus Hojgaard (Den), Ryan Fox (NZ), Marc Leishman
12:38 pm Karrie Webb, So Yeon Ryu (Korea) Ashleigh Bhai (South Africa)
12:49pm Min Woo Lee, Takumi Kanaya (Japan), Nicolai Hogaard (Denmark)
Check out the Live Scores and Tee times at the Australian Open website
So how is this all going to work?
The men’s and women’s draw will be split across both courses on Thursday and Friday and played in alternating men’s and women’s groups. Each group will play one round on each course before the weekend. The first tee shot is played at Victoria Golf Club at 6:55 am and the first at Kingston Heath at 7:00 am.
Cameron Smith, for example, tees off at Victoria Golf Club at 12:05 pm on Thursday and will most likely tee off as part of the morning groups on Friday.
The All Abilities Championship field will be integrated into the field on Friday.
The final two rounds will be played only at Victoria Golf Club. And in the event of a tie in any of the three tournaments, a sudden-death playoff will take place on the 18th hole until there is a winner.
Is there a cut?
Yep, there are a few of them. Both the men’s and women’s fields will each be cut to 60 after two rounds, with a third cut that trims the field to the top 30 players (and ties) for the final round. There is no cut for the All Abilities Championship.
What about the fans?
Gates open at 6:30 am each day with tickets valid across both courses available on-site or via Ticketek. Kids 17 and under are free. As we understand it, a free shuttle bus will be running between courses on Thursday and Friday to allow spectators to catch the action on two of the best golf courses in Australia.
For more details, check out the spectator section of the Australian Open Golf website.
Is it on TV?
Yep, it’s on free-to-air and Pay TV each day starting at 12 pm on Thursday. More details here.