Australian golf legend Karrie Webb hopes the upcoming Australian Open and WPGA Championship will develop to turn out to be such a drawcard on {the golfing} calendar, it’ll even have the LPGA reassessing their schedule.
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For the primary time since 2020, the ladies will play in a standalone Girls’s Australian Open at Kooyonga Golf Membership in Adelaide. They’ll then again up the next week on the WPGA Championship at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Nation Membership. A fortnight of golf, which can see one of the best Women European Tour and residential grown Aussie golfers in motion, together with our main winners Minjee Lee, Grace Kim and Hannah Inexperienced.
“They’re a few of the world’s finest they usually’re additionally our greatest Aussies. For those who actually give it some thought, they’re our greatest Australian golfers, male or feminine in the intervening time,” Karrie Webb informed foxsports.com.au.
“They’re those which might be successful majors 12 months in and 12 months out. I believe it’s nice they’re coming again and hopefully in these two weeks they’re showcased properly round Australia.”
Whereas Hannah Inexperienced and Steph Kyriacou will play in each tournaments, Minjee and Grace will participate in simply the Aus Open earlier than flying again abroad to compete within the LPGA.
“It’s nice each for occasions, to have Hannah and Steph enjoying WPGA which means so much to that occasion. We have now a powerful contingent from Europe and there’s many so good up and coming European gamers as properly. So I believe, simply including these two larger Aussie names to the lineup goes to convey a number of credibility to the occasion.”
The Australian Open is co-sanctioned with the Women European Tour (LET) however from 2012 – 2020 it was additionally a LPGA Tour occasion. Whereas Webb concedes the US Tour is unlikely to characteristic occasions in Australia once more, this fortnight of girls’s golf gives a possibility to develop to a degree that the LPGA will likely be compelled to take discover.
“I believe we are able to make it engaging for sure gamers to come back down for positive, we would not get that LPGA sanctioning once more however we are able to make these occasions large enough and engaging sufficient that they wish to come down and play,” Webb mentioned.
“You don’t want 20 (LPGA gamers), if you happen to get the suitable two or three of them (exterior our Aussie contingent), that attracts the eye of the world media to that occasion.”
“For the longest time that’s what they’ve finished with males’s golf, that’s what they did final 12 months on the Australian Open, there wasn’t a number of large names there, however Rory was there, so the world golf media adopted it as a result of Rory performed, you simply want the suitable gamers to decide to enjoying.”
The Australian Open holds a particular place in 7 time main winner’s coronary heart, it was the place she made her skilled debut in 1994 as an adolescent and a match she’s received a report 5 occasions.
“I’d love them to have the respect that when the LPGA is taking a look at their schedule that they provide these occasions some respect. I do know it’s their job to fill that complete schedule, however I hope that our occasions are large enough and vital sufficient that they’re actually contemplating what they’re placing in alongside it as a result of, they may lose some gamers to the Australian Open or to the WPGA (Championship) as a result of these occasions have turn out to be so large and widespread.”
The WPGA Championship returns to the schedule this 12 months, after Cyclone Alfred ripped by means of the Gold Coast in 2025, forcing the occasion to be cancelled.
A pageant of golf is organised for the week by Mulpha, the corporate that runs the annual Worldwide Boat Present at Sanctuary Cove, with occasions, shops and activations offering an progressive twist for attendees.
The Championship was initially held in 2022, with the winner to obtain the Karrie Webb Cup, an honour Webb didn’t wish to be misplaced.
“I didn’t need it to be a match that ran for 3 or 4 years after which by no means performed once more. Once I was making the choice to say sure, I used to be asking, ‘is that this a match long run?’ So hopefully this kicks it off a 20, 30, 40 12 months run,” Webb mentioned.
Olympian Su Oh received the WPGA Championship in 2022, however the Australian Open hasn’t produced a Aussie winner since Webb final received it in 2014. And with 3 main residence grown winners within the subject, it’s a report that Webb believes is about to be damaged quickly.
“There have been a few shut calls. I believe Minjee’s had a few actually shut possibilities and Greeny as properly. I believe they’re primed to. You assume they need to be the favourites and they need to go on to win, however that’s golf and everybody who tees it up has an opportunity to win.”
“Hopefully the ladies give themselves possibilities on Sunday and I would like two Aussie flags as champions of each these occasions, that’d be superior.”