The Australian Open will now not have the boys’s and ladies’s tournaments happen concurrently, Golf Australia mentioned on Saturday after the twin gender format drew criticism from high gamers.
The blended format, launched in 2022 to reboot the native tour after it was shut down by COVID-19, has lengthy had its detractors who say it diminishes the standing of each the boys’s and ladies’s nationwide Opens, which had been beforehand standalone occasions.
The criticism continued in final yr’s version, with males’s headliner Cameron Smith accusing officers of watering down the normally onerous and quick sandbelt course regardless of wet climate that contributed to smooth and sluggish circumstances.
Australian main winner Hannah Inexperienced additionally mentioned the course setup had “beneficiant” pin placements to ensure all gamers may get their rounds, and Australia’s first Masters winner Adam Scott elected to skip the event final yr.
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Golf Australia mentioned it had taken the choice to scrap the format after an annual overview, which included discussions with key stakeholders.
“Golf Australia has made the choice to separate the Australian Open males’s and ladies’s tournaments,” the physique’s chief government James Sutherland mentioned in a press release to Australian media.
“We’re pleased with what has been achieved over the previous three years with mixed-gender Australian Opens, along with the All-Skills Championship. With document crowds and broadcast audiences there’s a lot to be grateful for.
“Our long-term occasion technique is to construct the profile of our tournaments and to showcase the sport on the highest stage. This transfer aligns to our technique and can permit flexibility to raised adapt to the ever-changing panorama in world golf.”
The Australian Open is historically performed in direction of the top of the yr.