ISPS Handa Australian Open 2022: Preview and form stats

• World No 3 Smith seeks first Aussie Open title

• Event to be staged over two Melbourne venues

• Davis goes again after T7 in Brisbane

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The Australian Open has long been the jewel in the crown of Australasian golf.

In many ways, it may even be the most prestigious professional men's golf tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.

It certainly used to be, with players such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson all winning the title in decades gone by.

Nicklaus won the Australian Open six times, but even he was out-performed by seven-time champion Player.

In more recent times, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy have held aloft this famous trophy.

The event was first staged in 1904 and this year's instalment will be the 105th.

Open Milestones

And, when the players arrive in Melbourne for the 2022 tournament, it will be a landmark occasion in more ways than one.

Firstly, despite the Open's long and illustrious history, this will be the first time that the tournament has been co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour.

To date, the DP World Tour has co-sanctioned more than 40 Australian-based events, but never the country's national open.

Secondly, there will be two courses in use, as the men's and women's Australian Opens are contested concurrently over the same venues.

Because of Australia's strict Covid laws, the Open was not held in either 2020 or 2021.

Course Characteristics

The two courses sharing the honours in 2022 are the famous Victoria and Kingston Heath layouts, both of which are located within Melbourne's acclaimed sand-belt region.

Situated in the city's south-east suburbs, the two venues are separated by a little over three miles.

Kingston Heath has staged the Australian Open seven times, most recently in 2000, while Victoria has been the venue on three occasions, the last time 18 years ago.

During days one and two, the golfers will play 18 holes at each venue, with those who make the cut playing the final 36 holes at Victoria.

Kingston Heath staged the 2016 World Cup of Golf - won by Denmark (Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen) - while the most recent Australasian Tour event played here was the Talisker Masters of 2012, when Adam Scott emerged triumphant.

As for Victoria, the last time the Australasian Tour visited this 93-year-old club was in December 2011, when Ian Poulter won the JBWere Masters.

Changes Made

In readiness for the Australian Open, both venues have undergone renovations.

The well-bunkered Victoria has changed considerably during the last 15 years and, in 2018, its greens were laid with a new strain of Bent grass.

Kingston Heath, which was designed in 1925, was scheduled to host the national open two years ago, only for Covid to extinguish this dream.

According to Mike Clayton, a former Tour pro and golf course architect, "despite Kingston Heath and Victoria stretching their men's tees back as far as possible, they are both relatively short courses for the men because modern equipment has completely changed how they play."

Latest betting for this week's ISPS Handa Australian Open

Four To Watch

Cameron Davis: The 27-year-old from Sydney has certainly made a name for himself on the PGA Tour where he secured his maiden title in July 2021. Currently the world No 67, Davis tied-seventh in Brisbane on Sunday.

Min Woo Lee: His hot streak continued at the Australian PGA Championship last week when he tied-fourth at Royal Queensland. This makes it five straight top-12 finishes on the DP World Tour.

John Parry: The 36-year-old from Yorkshire maybe a decent each-way shout this week, as he attempts to fight his way back onto the DP World Tour. Has spent much of 2022 on the Challenge Tour and, in last week's tournament at Royal Queensland, closed with a 65 to finish in a tie-for-fourth. His only previous 'European Tour' title came 12 years ago.

Cameron Smith: Despite Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler currently occupying the top two spots in the World Ranking, the No 3 Smith could actually make a claim for being the leading golfer of 2022. In addition to winning The Open at St Andrews, the 29-year-old Aussie also won the Players Championship in March, along with other victories in Hawaii and Australia. And by switching allegiance to the Saudi tour during mid-season, he has potentially missed out on claiming other valuable ranking points in recent months. He will attempt to secure his first Australian Open title this week in Melbourne.

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves