Reigning champion Matt Jones and overall winner Geoff Ogilvy are the latest golf stars to join the high-quality course for the Melbourne Australian Open.
Jones’s return to defend the title he won in Sydney in 2019 comes after the national championship was canceled for two years due to the global pandemic.
Jones still plays golf superbly, finishing third at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and second at the Valero Texas Open on the US PGA Tour last season, after winning the Honda Classic in Florida last year.
Now playing on the LIV Golf Tour, Jones has won two Australian Open, a feat run by only a handful of men in the history of the event which dates back to 1904.
Both triumphs came in his beloved second home at Australian, where he played much of his early days of golf in Sydney before leaving as a youngster for college in the US and then turning pro.
He won the 2015 Open with a shot from Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, then again in 2019, narrowly beating Louis Oosthuizen.
The 42-year-old said he was delighted to be able to return to defend his title at clubs Victoria and Kingston Heath which co-host the Open from 1 to 4 December.
“Sure it’s been a while, but I can’t wait to get there. Everyone knows how great Melbourne Sandbelt courses are and it’s always a challenge for anyone. what a player as well as a delight, “said Jones.
“Winning two National Open is one of the things I’m most proud of in my career, but frankly three would be even better.”
Ogilvy, an all-time great Aussie, won the 2010 Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney, after winning the US Open at Winged Foot in 2006.
Ogilvy and Jones join world number 3 and 2022 British Open champion Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Cam Davis, Kiwi Ryan Fox, World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb and another Hannah Green big winner between the first group of players to engage in the mixed league.
Jones and Ogilvy will compete in an Australian Open this time around with a big difference, with men, women and players of all abilities competing for equal billing throughout the week, on the same courts at the same time. time.
This is the first time that a National Open, anywhere in the world, has seen the participation of men and women at the same time.