Australian Open (golf)

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MFS Australian Open
Tournament information
Location Sydney, NSW, AUS
Established 1904
Course(s) The Australian Golf Club
Par 72
Yardage 7,229
Tour(s) PGA Tour of Australasia
Format Stroke play
Purse AU$1,750,000
Month Played December
Tournament record score
Aggregate 264 Gary Player (1965)
To-par -28 Gary Player (1965)
Current champion
Craig Parry

The Australian Open is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The event was first played in 1904 and takes place toward the end of each year. It is run by Golf Australia and is one of the "national opens" which have a special status in the Official World Golf Rankings's points system, with a minimum level of points guaranteed for the winner regardless of the strength of the field.

The winner of the tournament receives the Stonehaven Cup. Although the prize money is now fairly modest compared to many other golf tournaments, especially on the PGA Tour and the European Tour, the Australian Open's position as the national open of one of the traditional golf powers means that its roll of honour for the years from the mid 1950s to the late 1980s includes many of the most distinguished international golfers of that era, including several Americans. However, in recent years fewer leading international players have entered and the winners list has come to be dominated by Australians again.

The 2007 Australian Open was recently launched at the Sydney Opera House and will be headlined by 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and will feature at least seven other Australians currently ranked in the world's Top 50. Another former Major winner, New Zealander Michael Campbell will also make the trip, as will Americans Brandt Snedeker, Will MacKenzie, Jason Gore and Kevin Stadler.

Organisers also announced that a hole at the 2007 Australian Open would be given showbiz treatment, much like the famed 16th hole at Scottsdale, Arizona. They also said that revolutionary statistic kiosks would be available on-course for fans and that prize money would be increased to A$1.75 million, continuing the Australian Open's reign as Australia's richest golfing event.

The Open was played at The Australian Golf Club, Sydney from December 13-16, 2007 and won by Craig Parry by a stroke from three players including Nick O'Hern, Brandt Snedeker and Won Joon Lee.

[edit] Winners

[edit] Multiple winners

As of the 2006 event the following golfers have one the Australian Open more than once.

7 wins

  • Gary Player: 1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1974

6 wins

  • Jack Nicklaus: 1964, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978

5 wins

  • Greg Norman: 1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996
  • I.H. Whitton (amateur): 1912, 1913, 1926, 1929, 1931

4 wins

  • Ossie Pickworth: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1954

3 wins

  • Peter Thomson: 1951, 1967, 1972
  • Norman Von Nida: 1950, 1952, 1953
  • C Clark: 1906, 1910, 1911

2 wins

  • Robert Allenby: 1994, 2005
  • Peter Lonard: 2003, 2004
  • Aaron Baddeley (first win as amateur): 1999, 2000
  • Frank Phillips: 1957, 1961
  • J.B. Ferrier: 1935, 1939
  • F Popplewell: 1925, 1929
  • Hon M. Scott (amateur): 1904, 1907

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Australian_Open_%28golf%29"
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