Once regarded as golf's 'Fifth Major' there is no bigger title in Australian golf than the Australian Open. Particularly for Australian golfers.
"You don't need much more motivation than playing for the Australian Open trophy" said Titleist brand ambsassador Adam Scott as he prepared for this week's event. "That's a big one for any Aussie. Even after all these years of playing all around the world, coming back and playing here is a big motivator.''
The 2009 Australian Open champion says his last-hole bogey to lose the Emirates Australian Open in 2013 still rankles with him as he prepares to win the national title again.
"I'd like to get a win here at Royal Sydney after what happened a few years ago. That burns a little bit. Also to win the Aussie Open is special." Scott said it would kind of cap off a good year after winning back-to back on the PGA Tour for the first time in March making 2016 "that bit better if you've got another win."
Further proof of how important this title is to Australia's leading players is the return PGA Tour winners, brand ambassadors Geoff Ogilvy and Greg Chalmers along with Titleist golf ball loyalist John Senden - all past winners of the Stonehaven Cup.
Chalmers rates this week his favourite tournament each year – a love affair enhanced by two memorable wins, in 1998 and against an elite world-class field before the Presidents Cup in 2011.
“No question. It’s iconic for Australians. For my age bracket we grew up watching Australia’s greatest players and we love it,” he said.
“That’s why so many of us are passionate about coming back and playing. I think (Geoff) Ogilvy is a great story this week, coming back and playing just one event shows you how dear he holds the tournament.”
So what about his status as a dual champion, one of only 16 multiple winners in the tournament’s 100 editions before this week?
“It’s nice, it flatters me. I understand the gravity of the situation.” “But I come home to Australia relaxed and I think it helps me play better because if I achieve good things, that’s great, but I’ve got a lot of good things going on with my family and friends. “I like just walking around and catching up with people and see how they’re doing. I haven’t seen them for a year.
Then there is tournament drawcard and Australian fan favourite Titleist brand ambassador Jordan Spieth making his third successive appearance at the Emirates Australian Open - record so far: first in 2014 and second in 2015. Spieth enters the week, fresh off a break and some minor swing adjustments with coach Cameron McCormick
“It’s just progress through the backswing. I’m working on the same things I was doing the second half of 2015. Those were my best ball striking weeks, the second half of 15, which was after the Masters and US Open. I hit the ball much better the second half of 2016.”
While in Australia Jordan had some time to reflect on his 2016 season. “I thought this was a good year,” he said with a smile. “We actually had three wins. The Ryder Cup was definitely a win for us. I think 2014 was similar to 16. Funny, then everyone told me it was a great year, but 2016 was much better than 2014.”
And what do his fellow competitors think of Jordan's game?
"You can always learn a lot, the way Jordan gets around a course,” says Ogilvy, who will partner Spieth in the opening two rounds here. “More than anyone, he seems to always sign for one or two (shots) less than you think he maybe should have. Every day. That's always the sign of a great player. Jordan's one of those guys who gets the best out of his round almost every time you play with him. That's something we can all observe and get something out of.”
Good luck to all of Team Titleist this weekend at the 101st Australian Open!
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This week at the Australian Open 128 players will be trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success. That's more than fourteen times the nearest competitor with 9 and more than all competitors combined.
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Note: Next week in Melbourne, Australia, the PGA TOUR will stage the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, an unofficial two-man team event in which a field of 56 players will represent 28 countries from around the globe.
The Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort in Queensland will follow. Enjoy the action until the official 2106-2017 PGA TOUR schedule resumes at Kapalua in January, where Titleist Brand Ambassador Jordan Spieth (Pro V1x) defends his crown at the Tournament of Champions.
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