IT’S easy to find and highlight the negatives.
Cameron Smith wasn’t overly pleased with the set-up of the Australian Open courses, believing Victoria and Kingston Heath to be too soft and unlike how he thought traditional Melbourne sandbelt layouts were designed to play, especially in big championships.
His mood likely also had a bit to do with the men, women and all abilities playing the same course at the same time. He didn’t say as much, but we’re not sure he is a fan of the current format.
Our Bunker-to-Bunker panel tackles the topic of penalties for repeat offenders when it comes to slow play.
Related to that, without naming him Smith doubled down and took a veiled swipe at the pace at which Elvis Smylie plays, after being paired with the young Queenslander in Brisbane at the PGA Championship, then again over the opening two rounds in Melbourne.
Smith’s LIV teammate Lucas Herbert on Sunday at Kingston Heath struggled with his game, and judging by his verbal reactions, heard clearly through television microphones, he may have been a little tired and emotional after playing three tournaments in a row.
Similarly, Cam had played four weeks out of five, maybe we can forgive him for perhaps being a little cranky at the end of a draining run of tournaments, where at all of which he was the centre of attention.
Jason Day jetted out of Brisbane without detouring to the Australian Open, where he would have added his star power to the national championship, while for whatever reason, Adam Scott didn’t venture down under at all.
I can also wallow in some personal pity, with commitments keeping me away from the course and my game suffering as a result.
So, while you can’t ignore some of the above, maybe 2025 is the time to start focusing on the positive. After all, golf is booming, as evidenced by busy courses, the health of our professional game and the 70-odd pages of ‘good news’ contained in this edition of Inside Golf.
So why don’t we look at the fantastic condition in which the Heath and Victoria were presented for the national open. The fairways were like carpet, the greens maybe a little on the slow side for the sandbelt, but at the same time smooth and true.
When it comes to our newest young star (and please Elvis don’t take offence at our page 46 cartoon by the way) why don’t we celebrate his success. Australia has a number of exciting emerging young stars, Elvis might just be the best of them all. And the less shots he takes each week, doesn’t that equate to the quicker he plays?
Yes, Cam and Lucas were a little testy by the time the Australian Open wound up, however they should be applauded for their presence, at four events for Cam, three for Lucas, in bringing their considerable profile and high quality golf to the tournaments they contested and to the many who had not seen them play before.
As for Jason, it was great to see him back in Australia after a long absence, and as he expressed in an interview published in this edition of Inside Golf with our US correspondent Garrett Johnston, he has plans to come again real soon.
And we can certainly cut Adam a break for missing out on our local events this year, considering his workload and the number of international tournaments he played during 2024. He has traditionally supported the events back home and we can hope that will be the case again going forward.
I’m also trying to believe I can find some form, win a ball or two in the ball comp and maybe even the odd trophy voucher in the weeks and months ahead.
I’m happy to, so why don’t we all try to focus on the positives whent it comes to golf in 2025.
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