BARWON HEADS, AUSTRALIA | There is a full international, multicultural experience going on this week at the women’s ISPS Handa Vic Open, where there are Filipino and French players in the field, Icelanders, Indians and Italians, and Ecuadoreans and English.
Some locals believe that no golf tournament in this country has ever featured quite such a broad church of nationalities as this field at 13th Beach Golf Links.
Yet, and this has become one of the talking points of the week, there are precious few of the leading Americans and Asians here from the LPGA Tour.
On the surface, that appears a little odd. The Vic Open has become a co-sanctioned LPGA Tour event for the first time and it has won that privilege on the back of its groundbreaking work in promoting gender equality, equal rights and prize-money parity. The women’s tournament is being played in conjunction with a men’s event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, with players competing on the same courses – the Beach and Creek layouts at 13th Beach – under exactly the same conditions and for equal purses.
So, in a women’s field of 156 players, the organisers are saying (quietly): surely the event deserves the support of more than 30 Americans and three of the top 40 players in the world.
Even some relative locals such as world No. 14 Lydia Ko of New Zealand have chosen to skip the event. Today, she’ll be running a corporate day in Melbourne for one of her major sponsors, the ANZ Bank.
For a player such as Christina Kim, until recently an LPGA player director, it’s a crying shame that so few of the topliners have chosen to make the trip – not that she’s judging them for their decision.
Even though she’s played in Australia more than 10 times, Kim is making her first appearance at this tournament, which is being held 70 miles south of Melbourne on the southern tip of the mainland. And she can’t work out why she hasn’t bothered to come earlier.
“I’m kicking myself, I really am,” Kim told GGP before teeing off on Thursday. “This is the coolest experience I’ve had in all of golf. And I mean that. For very different reasons, it’s even cooler than the Solheim Cup. It’s got a great vibe.
“But I’m a vagabond, I’ve got a wanderer’s spirit and I’m inquisitive, so I’m loving being here. Maybe not everyone enjoys traveling as much. I also happen to love golf, so I like wandering along the practice fairway to watch players like (men’s Vic Open competitors) Geoff Ogilvy and Nicolas Colsaerts hitting shots.”
“Australia is perhaps my favourite place to play, so I had no hesitation in coming. Having two events down here in a row, that makes it even better.” – Morgan Pressel
Part of the reason why the tournament has attracted a slightly less-than-stellar field is the fact it was announced as an LPGA co-sanctioned event only late last November. That meant some players had very little time to change their schedules and organize themselves to travel to Australia in early February. Certainly, the view among LPGA officials at the tournament is that it has been handicapped by this one-off glitch.
The feeling is that once the tournament has established itself as a fixture on the LPGA Tour calendar, and word gets out about what a unique experience it is, then the field will become stronger each year.
“I know I’m going to tell everyone about it, don’t worry about that,” Kim said.
Another American, Morgan Pressel, is making her Vic Open debut this week and she made the decision to play on short notice, pairing this event with the LPGA-sanctioned ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open next week – and then the tour’s swing through Asia after that.
She was delighted after opening with a 3-under-par 70 on Thursday, even if the experience of practising and playing alongside men took some getting used to.
“It’s a noticeably different feel to any other event,” Pressel said. “Just on the range this morning, warming up between a couple of guys, that was unusual. And then there’s no gallery ropes out on the course …
“Playing behind us today, some of the drives Ryan Fox was hitting, we kept turning around and going: ‘Whoa.’ He waited for us to clear the green on the 14th, which is a 350-yard par-4, and his drive finished about 10 yards short of the green. We were kind of like: ‘That’s a little different.’
“Australia is perhaps my favourite place to play, so I had no hesitation in coming. Having two events down here in a row, that makes it even better.
“I’d say 30 Americans in the field isn’t such a bad number, perhaps a bit lower than most co-sanctioned events but it is a long way to travel, and the tax rate is quite high so perhaps some players were just waiting to see how it went this year before committing (in the future).
“For me, it’s the perfect place to shake a little rust off and start the year. I think it’s worthy of support – and I’m proud to be here.”
“It wasn’t announced until pretty late in the year, so I feel like if we had had a little bit more time to really talk about it, I think more girls would probably understand what this event is all about.” – Pernilla Lindberg
For the record, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Pressel and Kim are among the 30 American women who’ve made the trip – as are world No. 6 (and defending champion) Minjee Lee, No. 8 Georgia Hall, 2018 ANA Inspiration winner Pernilla Lindberg, Australians Karrie Webb, Sarah Jane Smith and Katherine Kirk, as well as Brits Laura Davies and Catriona Matthew.
World No. 9 Brooke Henderson was due to play but withdrew after falling ill on her way to Australia. She abandoned her trip and returned to Florida.
Sweden’s Lindberg is certain that the tournament will only grow in popularity as the word spreads about its unique format and relaxed feel.
“It wasn’t announced until pretty late in the year, so I feel like if we had had a little bit more time to really talk about it, I think more girls would probably understand what this event is all about,” Lindberg said.
“But I’m sure that now we actually have a full year to actually spread the word, I think you will see the strength (of the field) keep getting better because I’ve been telling girls the last few years what a cool experience it is. It’s just different.
“What I have also told the players is you wouldn’t believe how respectful the crowds are. I said I played there now for two years, I cannot remember one time when I asked someone to move or stand still. So, I mean, if someone were to ask me, that’s what I would tell them – come on down.”