Australian Open Each-Way Tips: 250/1 Crowe is Matt Cooper's main pick as he looks to follow up 80/1 winner

• Youngster Harrison Crowe is in good nick and a huge price

• Ashun Wu finished second at Kingston Heath in the 2016 World Cup

• Matthew Southgate might find the test to his liking

• The column had the 80/1 winner and 40/1 placed finisher last week

The DP World Tour's mini-Australian swing moves south from Queensland to what golf purists might almost term Kingsland (the Melbourne sandbelt).

This celebrated stretch of terrain south of the city bears comparison with the best of British and Irish linksland in terms of quality of raw materials and the playing characteristics, while different, are not entirely dissimilar.

There is sand-based, fast-running turf, there are many bunkers filled with fine-grained sand, there are natural contours, and there are traditional designs.

One key difference is the speed of the greens. These courses can mostly afford to be rapid whereas links courses need to keep the grass high in case the wind blows.

But what the sandbelt and linksland have in common is high quality (and fun) golf.

Kingston Heath is the venue this week (with one pre-cut round at Victoria) and the last three times it welcomed the Australian Open were each notable in distinct ways.

Back in 2000 the then-youthful-now-veteran Aaron Baddeley successfully defended the trophy he'd won in 1999 as an amateur. The victory came in the middle of a superb transition to the paid ranks and, despite four wins on the PGA Tour, he's never really lived up to that auspicious start.

Nine years later Tiger Woods rocked up, had a great time on and off the course, a giddy experience he would soon come to regret. Within days the National Enquirer was revealing an affair which was the start of his hideous downward spiral.

The 2012 champion's story was rather happier, because Adam Scott's victory came plumb in the middle of his finest spell of golf, five months after he had lost the Open at Royal Lytham in excruciating fashion and six months before he won the Masters.

There is a genuine Augusta National connection because Alastair MacKenzie had a hand in creating Kingston Heath as well as Augusta National.

Moreover, Greg Norman won the Aussie Open at Kingston Heath in 1995 ahead of his Masters near-miss/meltdown while Gary Player won there in 1970 in the middle of an 18 year run that saw him win three green jackets - and when Denmark won the 2016 World Cup on the course the nation was represented by Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen who both own top 10s at Augusta.

So maybe, beyond looking for a payout this week, we might also want to keep an eye on potential Masters contenders (although, alas, there will be very few of them in the field).

Main Bet: Harrison Crowe 1pt each-way @ 250/1

There's not much doubt that the top end of the market is strong this week. Beyond Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann, Cam Davis, Victor Perez and David Micheluzzi all appeal as contenders but look about right or on the short side, especially with the each-way column's remit. So we'll scan much further down for this week's trio.

It's just over a year now since Harrison Crowe turned professional after a fine amateur career and, after getting off to a smart start (second in the Queensland PGA Championship and eighth in the Hong Kong Open), the next few months were a little challenging.

But he played nicely when seventh in the New South Wales Open two weeks ago and backed it up with eighth last week in the Aussie PGA Championship.

A return to the Melbourne sandbelt ought to be right up his street because he shone there before turning pro.

He won the 2020 Victorian Amateur at Metropolitan GC and successfully defended it at Peninsula Kingswood GC. A year after that he won the Australia Master of the Amateurs at this week's co-host Victoria GC.

A winner of the New South Wales Open when an amateur, we're probably playing for a place but he's a huge price for a fellow in a spot he enjoys and who is playing well.

Next Best: Ashun Wu 1pt each-way @ 175/1

At that World Cup eight years ago Ashun Wu holed a long birdie putt on the 18th hole to grab a share of the first round lead that didn't last too long, but he and Haotong Li were still second after 18 holes and remained in that position going into the weekend.

They slipped back on Saturday before posting a final round 65 to grab a share of second and those good vibes could boost him this week.

He needs it because he lost his card last season and didn't retrieve it at Q School so last week and this are among his reduced chances this season.

He's made his last five cuts and last week his Approach work was much improved as he closed with a 69 for T34th (while his short game remains solid).

Final Bet: Matthew Southgate 1pt each-way @ 90/1

Like Wu, Matthew Southgate has been forced into making the trip down under and it might yet prove fruitful.

He also lost his card last season and failed to regain it at Q School but this week's courses could easily suit his fondness for a traditional test.

Most of his finest golf has come on the linksland, of course. He's got two top 20s in the Open, two runner-up finishes in the Dunhill Links, been second at Portstewart and won amateur and mini tour events at Open venues.

He's also won on the Surrey heathland as a pro and finished second at Spey Valley (Scottish heathland) in his rookie year on the Challenge Tour.

Given all of that, the visuals should suit him and he's been top 10 after 36 holes of his last two tour starts including last week when eventually T15th.

A lover of the Open he might also be fuelled by the three spots up for grabs this week at next year's championship at Royal Portrush.

Now read Steve Rawlings on the Australian Open.

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