This week’s Australian Open has all the makings of being an absolute classic.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott will be teeing it up this week as the Australian Open heads back to Royal Melbourne for the first time since 1991.
The Australian Open is surrounded by more excitement this year than it has been over the past few editions of the tournament.
Since 2022, the Australian Open has been played concurrently with the Women’s Australian Open, with the male and female golfers teeing off from separate tees throughout the week.
However, that has all changed this year, with the event at Royal Melbourne returning to a men-only field.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Australian Open will return as a standalone event in March 2026 in Adelaide at Kooyonga Golf Club.
Who do you think will win the Australian Open?
Numerous PGA Tour players, DP World Tour members and LIV Golf stars are playing in Melbourne this week, much to the delight of the Australian fans.
And one LIV player has shared his opinion that the Australian Open is now an event which is again befitting of its rich history.
Lucas Herbert says the Australian Open will benefit from having a men-only field
The Australian Open seemingly lost its way over the past few years.
Hosting the tournament for both men and women since 2022 diluted the event’s popularity somewhat.
That has all changed this year, though, and it will be for the good of both the men’s and women’s game, according to LIV Golf player Lucas Herbert.
Herbert told Flushing It Golf that the Australian Open will now be a lot stronger after it reverted to a men-only field.
“Yes, absolutely (he’s looking forward to it), and I think a lot of people are, I think sandbelt golf is always an attraction. I think too, being men’s only, they’re going to be able to set it up the way it should play. With the women’s event being on the same week the last few years, it’s been tough. The golf course, you know, Kingston Heath, Victoria, these courses have just been a bit of a shell of themselves as to what they can play because, you know, it isn’t fair to set them up really hard for the men and have the women playing as well.
“I know what they’re trying to do and it had some benefits, but I think, especially in the position that we’re at in the global game right now, like going to a men’s only event is going to be massive. I think it’s going to attract better names. And then on top of that, I think the women deserve their own week. They’re going to get better players play that week as well. And then I think you can set the course up to test their game better than what you did when you were trying to do both at the same time.
“I just don’t think it’s fair to test men’s and women’s games on the same course in the same week. So, I mean, yeah, I think it’s the way forward. It’s sad, because it would have been nice if the men’s and women’s in the same week worked, but it just didn’t.”
Australian Open returning to its glory days Lucas Herbert claims
Throughout the years of the Australian Open, there have been some huge names who’ve walked away victorious, including the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Greg Norman.
And according to Herbert, the glory days of Australia’s national open championship could be set to return.
Herbert explained: “I mean, I’m 29, so I grew up listening to the glory days of the Australian Open, not probably seeing it as much as other people. It feels like we’re starting to get back closer towards these glory days everyone was telling me about with some of the players that used to come back, you know, some of the names that are on that trophy.
“We seem to be a lot closer to that than we are to maybe 10 years ago when the event was struggling and players weren’t super keen to come back and, you know, our national open was shell of what it was. It’s nice to see it reviving again.“
With the likes of Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott playing this week, as well as a whole host of other big names, the Australian Open clearly has some of its prestige back.
And it will be fascinating to watch the tournament return to the magnificent Royal Melbourne Golf Club this week.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
