The Open Championship has been a happy hunting ground for Australian male golfers. After all, the Claret Jug is etched on 10 occasions with the names of our local greats! Peter Thomson (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 & 1965), Kel Nagle (1960), Greg Norman (1986 & 1993), Ian Baker-Finch (1991) and Cameron Smith (2022). Ten Aussies will peg it up at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake in search of history at the 151st staging of golf’s oldest tournament.
Here’s a quick look at our hopefuls.
Cameron Smith is the defending champion. The 29-year-old is hoping to join Peter Thomson as the only event winners from Down Under to go back-to-back. The Queenslander looks cherry ripe to retain the Claret Jug after winning LIV London on July 9. The short game & putting wizard figured in the mix at the most recent two majors (T9 PGA Championship and 4th US Open).
Jason Day is making his 11th appearance at The Open. The 35-year-old Queenslander scored his best finish at the coveted event in 2015 when he came T4 at St Andrews. The Open has historically been Day’s worst performed major given he has only finished inside the top 20 on one occasion from 10 starts and missed the cut at his previous two attempts. That said, the world No. 27 performs well at golf’s biggest events boasting a major victory (2015 PGA Championship), a win at THE PLAYERS, two WGC titles and two FedExCup playoff successes. Day brings winning form this season having won the AT&T Byron Nelson in May for his 13th PGA Tour win.
Adam Scott, aged 43, is the oldest Aussie in the field and with 22 Open starts under his belt, he’s also the most experienced on true links venues. The Queenslander owns three top 5 finishes at the Open with his best result coming in 2012 when he was runner up to Ernie Els at Royal Lytham and St Annes. While his recent performances at The Open haven’t matched expectations, the tour veteran is all-class and well-equipped to return to the winner’s circle.
Min Woo Lee is one of golf’s young guns. The 24-year-old from Perth has risen to number 47 in the world on the back of strong performances this year. Lee finished T2 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January and T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship in March before stunning the golf world with a T5 finish at the US Open in June. This will be his third start at The Open.
Lucas Herbert gained his third DP World Tour win at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan during April this year. The 27-year-old from Bendigo has enjoyed three starts at The Open with a best result of T15 at last year’s contest at St Andrews. With much of the attention on marquee players, Herbert is very capable of sneaking under the radar and adding a major to his resume.
Travis Smyth, Haydn Barron, Connor McKinney, David Micheluzzi, and amateur Harrison Crowe are making their Open debut. For Smyth, Barron and McKinney, their start at Royal Liverpool is their maiden appearance at any major championship. Smyth, the world No. 310, qualified for The Open via his superb 3rd place finish at the World City Championship in Hong Kong. Barron, aged 27, punched his ticket to Hoylake after his T4 finish at the Australian Open staged at Victoria Golf Club in December 2022 when he closed with a birdie-eagle finish to stake his place in golf’s oldest major. McKinney enjoyed a successful 2022 as an amateur winning the Australian Amateur title and the prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy when he closed the event with a stunning 65 on the Old Course for victory. The 21-year-old made his way to Royal Liverpool after moving through the Final Qualifying stage at Dundonald Links. He may be world No. 1140, but the Scottish-born Aussie has form on links layouts. Micheluzzi makes his second major appearance after earning a start at this year’s PGA Championship courtesy of an invitation by the PGA of America. The 26-year-old Victorian showcased his enormous talent during the recent Australian summer when he won the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit claiming wins at the Play Today NSW Open and TPS Sydney. Crowe, the sole amateur in the field from Australia, tasted major competition at this year’s Masters in April. The 21-year-old is on a trajectory to join the pro ranks soon given his victory at the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur. Crowe is the highest ranked Australian amateur golfer in the world with a ranking of 38th.
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