The ISPS Handa Australian Open will take place on the same day as the men’s championship. Major champions Minjee Lee and Hannah Green are back in Australia this week. The history-making events in Melbourne on Victoria or Kingston Heath Golf Clubs will offer the same prize money but they won’t have the same field size.
In the beginning, each field was to have 144 players. Since then, the women’s field has been reduced to 108 players while the men’s have grown to 156. Each player will receive $1,150,000 ($1.7M USD) in the purse.
The Australian Open has been co-sponsored by the LPGA for many years and was held in early part of the year. The event is now held during the LPGA’s offseason, which coincides with the final stage of qualifying school. The DP World Tour schedule includes the men’s event.
“We are blessed to have solid talent in the women’s field at the ISPS Handa Australian Open,” James Sutherland , Golf Australia CEO, said in a statement to Golf Australiamagazine .
Due to the contractual arrangements, this year’s event couldn’t be co-sanctioned with the LPGA. Additionally, numbers were significantly affected by LPGA Tour school delays, which were caused by a hurricane. This has prevented approximately 120 players from entering the event. It has also led to a reduction of field size to ensure integrity of the national Open.
Ashleigh Buhai (AIG Women’s British Open) and Jennifer Kupcho, 2022 major winner (Chevron), are also LPGA players. The men’s field includes British Open champion Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, as well as Ryan Fox, New Zealand’s top player.
For many of the most prominent names, it’s a family affair as Minjee Lee and brother Min Woo will join Green in the men’s open field with Green’s fiancée Jarryd Felton.
Each field will have two cuts. The first cut will be after 36 holes for the top 60 professionals, ties and amateurs. The second cut will be after 54 holes for top 30 and ties (both amateurs and pros).
